Quest for Dragstor
by Aidan J S Cross
Summary: Extendar journeys to the Fright Zone in the hope of restoring his former best friend, Dragstor, to his human form. But his task proves difficult- will he succeed, or will Dragstor be doomed to serve the Horde forever? Will they even survive?
1. Default Chapter

QUEST FOR DRAGSTOR

by 

Aidan Cross

7/22/99

* * *

Atop the jagged peak of one of the rocky cliffs, He-Man, Extendar, Rio Blast and Fisto looked down on the power station below. The building, its dome crackling with electric light energy, was surrounded by Horde Troopers on every side.  
"What exactly are the Horde doing here?" asked Extendar.  
"Hordak is using the energy from this power station to charge his machinery." replied He-Man. "He's hoping it will help to make the Horde more powerful. She-Ra called me from Etheria a few days ago to say Hordak had attacked several power plants there- so obviously he's now using energy from Eternia to strengthen the Horde."  
"Well let's waste no time." said Extendar. "We'd better attack!"  
He-Man drew his gleaming sword. "Make your way slowly down the cliff face, warriors." he said. "The Troopers will sense us approaching, but let's not worry about them. They usually fall apart with just one blow."  
"That's gonna be way too difficult." complained Fisto. "I mean, I'm not worried about the Horde- but this cliff is way too steep. I don't know about you, but I'd fall straight away."  
"Yeah, I agree with Fisto." said Rio Blast. "I'd stand no chance of getting down there without falling- and my lasers would be damaged! Can't we find an easier way down, He-Man?"  
"This is the only way I see." said He-Man. "There's no easy pathway down. But I guess you're right. We'll have to go back to the palace and get some Jet Sleds, so we can fly down there. I should have thought better before coming here. Come on, let's go back." He turned, ready to lead the warriors away.  
"Hey, wait up a second." said Extendar. "There's no need to go back! There is actually an easy way down."  
"What's that?" asked He-Man.  
"I'll get you down!" Extendar replied. "If I grow to full height, that drop will be no match for me!"  
"Of course!" said He-Man. "Where would we be without you on our side, Extendar? Go ahead!"  
Extendar leaped over the edge of the cliff, then quickly shot out his limbs, torso and neck, until he had reached full size- then he hit the ground with no trouble. He gripped hold of He-Man, Rio and Fisto in his hands, and placed them on the ground.  
The Horde Troopers instantly detected the warriors, and turned, firing their lasers at them. "I'll deal with these rust buckets!" said Extendar, towering above them, and kicked several Horde Troopers away with the heel of his boot, before stepping right on them and crushing them to scrap metal on the ground. He stepped on Trooper after Trooper, until they were all reduced to sizzling heaps of scrap metal.  
"Well done, Extendar!" said He-Man. "Now let's get inside the power station!"  
Extendar shrank to normal size, and together with He-Man, Rio and Fisto, ran through the doors of the power station, to see Hordak, Modulok and Dragstor using the controls to zap energy into a Horde machine.  
"Hold it right there!" He-Man shouted.  
The evil warriors spun round. "He-Man!" exclaimed Hordak.  
"This power station ain't gonna help with your experiments!" said Rio Blast, and opened up the lasers built into his body, firing at the Horde machines and blasting them apart.  
"My work- ruined!" exclaimed Hordak. "Dragstor- destroy them!"  
The cyborg warrior Dragstor launched himself into fighting mode. This unique warrior was half-man, half vehicle. In his chest was a built-in wheel, which he used to propel himself along. Dragstor zoomed along the ground at top speed, towards Extendar. He leaped up and smashed Extendar in the face. Then he gripped hold of his robotic neck and forced Extendar to the ground. He pummelled on his face repeatedly, and kicked and smashed Extendar with all his might.  
"What's the deal here?" said Rio, confused. "Extendar can handle this guy easily! Why isn't he fighting back?"  
"Don't you worry, I'll deal with Dragstor!" said Fisto, running forth and pulling back his huge fist, ready to smash Dragstor violently.  
"No Fisto, don't-" called Extendar.  
"Huh? What's wrong with you?" asked Fisto. "I've gotta save you, we don't want the Horde to win!" He smashed his gigantic metal fist down violently on Dragstor's cyborg body, several times, until the evil master of speed was too badly hurt to fight on, and trudged back to Hordak.  
Fisto, Rio and He-Man went over to the Horde members- but strangely, Extendar remained crouched in the corner, his head hung low.  
"Hey Modulok- I'll smash you into pieces- literally!" laughed Fisto.  
"It is no use sticking around." said Hordak. "We have nothing to gain now that the heroic warriors have foiled our plans. We must journey back to Etheria and begin our work again!" Hordak, Modulok, and the badly beaten Dragstor left the power station, and a few moments later, the air was filled with the roaring sound their Batmex machine as it blasted off into the skies.  
"Well, we managed to foil that scheme pretty easily." said Fisto. "But why wouldn't Extendar fight back?"  
"Yeah, why wouldn't you?" asked Rio, turning to face Extendar, crouched in the corner. "You could have let us down there, if the attack had been more serious. A heroic warrior's duty is to fight- and if you just lie back and let the bad guys beat you up, then you're no warrior!"  
Extendar hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry." he said lowly. "I….. I did badly there. Maybe you guys would be better off without me."  
"Oh no, you're a crucial member of our army, and I mean that." said Fisto. "I've seen you save the day millions of times- but why didn't you fight then?"  
"Easy now." said He-Man. "Extendar has a little problem here that he prefers not to talk about. Come on then, you all did well. Let's get back to Eternos."  
Extendar got to his feet and followed the other warriors out of the power station. As before, he grew to full size, and lifted them to the top of the cliff, before pulling his gigantic body upwards, and shrinking to normal size.  
"That's an amazing feat." said Fisto. "I wish I had your power, Extendar. I've no idea what your little problem is, but you sure are a great warrior. No doubt about it."  
"Well, just remember we have Hordak to thank for my power." said Extendar. "He made me this way."  
"Yes, it's quite ironic that one of our greatest fighters was created by one of our greatest enemies!" said He-Man. "And don't feel down about your problem, Extendar. We'll never give up."  
The warriors made their way back to Eternos City, but Extendar was silent the whole way. After they reached the palace, Extendar retreated to his own private room there. He had proven such a powerful warrior since his recruitment into the heroic forces, that King Randor had allowed him to stay at the palace whenever he liked. There had been many times since joining the army that he had been praised to extremes….. but at the present moment, he felt a little guilty about not fighting back when Dragstor had attacked him. What must Rio and Fisto have thought of him? But still, he just couldn't help it. He'd always tried to avoid fights with Dragstor- he could never bring himself to fight this warrior. Because he remembered all the memories he treasured from the past, when Dragstor had been his closest friend.  
Both Extendar and Dragstor had been normal humans, called Theydon and Doodon respectively, before Hordak had made them into what they were. They had known each other since they were about three, and had grown up together, meeting at youth centers, going out together, seeing each other nearly every day. As they got older they got closer, and Theydon had been able to confide anything in Doodon, including all his greatest secrets, and Doodon had done the same likewise. They always felt they had an eternal friendship. Both keen runners, they became great athletes, and would often race each other in places all over Eternia.  
Then had come that fateful day when the Horde invaded Eternia to find new recruits. That day had been the day that Theydon and Doodon had been racing in the annual athletics tournament. They had been way ahead of the other runners, until a fateful moment when Theydon had caught his leg in some quicksand, and was sucked down quickly. Doodon had been running ahead at the time, and was just about to reach the winning line. But when he saw that his friend was close to drowning in the quicksand, he had sacrificed his win, turned back, and rescued Theydon from the murky depths. At the moment that he saved him, someone else reached the winning line before him. Theydon's heart had been gladdened and moved by the way his friend had put his life before the victory in the great race. Feeling he owed his life to him, he now liked Doodon even more than before.  
But only moments after he was rescued, Modulok and Leech had suddenly emerged from behind a tree, captured the two friends, and dragged them to the Eternian Fright Zone. They had been thrown into Hordak's laboratory, where he had begun to conduct deadly experiments on them, intending to turn them into Horde minions. Knowing that he owed his life to him, Theydon had been thinking the whole time of how he could rescue Doodon. Both Theydon and Doodon had been struck unconscious by Hordak as he completed the experiment. When they awoke- they had become Extendar and Dragstor.  
At first, Extendar had been struck by amnesia. He could not remember who he was, where he'd been, or anything- but together with Dragstor, he'd been given an introduction to the Horde and the Fright Zone. Although led to believe that Hordak was his master, the whole time he was convinced something was not right. As night fell, and the Horde members all retreated to their private chambers, the memory of who he was, his whole past, and his life being saved by Doodon, had suddenly struck into Extendar's mind. He was not a member of the Horde at all. But he had felt powerful- and knew he was powerful enough to escape. He had assumed that Hordak's experiment had been flawed, and so Dragstor must have regained his memory too. So in the middle of the night, he had woken Dragstor up, telling him that they must escape and contact the heroic warriors.  
And the moment that followed had to be the saddest moment of his entire life. Dragstor's response had been slow at first- he'd simply uttered "Huh?….. contact….. the heroic….. warriors? Why….. that means….. THAT YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO HORDAK!"  
Heartbroken, Extendar had fled from the Fright Zone, cursing Hordak for what he had done to his friend. And since then, Extendar had never been able to bring himself to fight against Dragstor properly. He could not even bear to watch any other heroic warrior inflict any kind of injury upon Dragstor. For he knew that underneath that metal body- behind those blazing, evil eyes- lay the friend he had known and loved for many years. And somewhere, in the subconscious mind of that psychotic man-vehicle, ever-loyal to Hordak- lay the memory of all that they had done together as friends.  
Although Extendar had been treated like some kind of God since joining the heroic warriors, because of his incredible skills, a part of him felt extremely lonely, and sad- through knowing what had happened to his friend. He had lived this way for three years, and was not sure he could stand it much longer. Dragstor HAD to be freed from Hordak's curse soon. He would have to hope that He-Man would be able to find some way of freeing him.  
But would that ever be possible? As far as he knew, Hordak owned no equipment that was capable of changing him back. For the past three years, Snout Spout, who had felt like a freak as the elephant-like being that Hordak had turned him into, had switched back and forth between Eternia and Etheria with the hope of finding a way to change back- but had met with nothing but failure. If Snout Spout had to remain stuck in his cyborg form forever, then maybe Dragstor was doomed to be an Evil Horde minion forever? Extendar simply could not let that happen.  
But there was no point in just sitting around and hoping that somehow a miracle would occur and He-Man would find out how to change Dragstor back. Extendar would have to do something himself.  
He got to his feet, ready to leave. He would journey to Etheria, and do his best to find some way of returning Dragstor to his human form. And he would continue until his quest was complete. And if by any chance it appeared that there was NO way of freeing Dragstor from the curse- Extendar would induce a slow and painless death on Dragstor. He knew it was against a heroic warrior's code to take any life intentionally- but nevertheless, he would rather Dragstor was dead than doomed to a life of evil. He left his room, and set off for Castle Grayskull, to use the portal to Etheria.

As Extendar approached Castle Grayskull, the jaw bridge sensed his presence and creaked open before him. He entered, and made his way through to the throne room.  
The beautiful Sorceress of Grayskull sat there, practising her magic. With Doodon gone, the Sorceress had to be the most comforting presence that Extendar knew. She meant even more to him than He-Man/Prince Adam did. After his recruitment into the Eternian army, the Sorceress had comforted him many times over the loss of his friend. She had the most beautiful, refreshing, reassuring presence that Extendar had ever known, and she was always open to him. Sometimes he had spent hour after hour in Grayskull, just to be near her. He wanted to be close to her- she had never failed to make him feel better.  
As she saw him approach, she looked up, and said "Extendar! What brings you to Grayskull?"  
"I….. I have a problem, Sorceress." he said, climbing the steps to her throne.  
"And what is that?"  
"Well….. maybe you're sick of me saying this, I've told you about ten million times before. It's about Doodon."  
"Yes." she said, stepping towards him, her beautiful, feathered costume brushing lightly against the ground, her delicate voice echoing softly through the chamber. "I know that the loss of your friend causes you great sadness. But although Dragstor remains in service to Hordak, the heroic warriors- and even the Rebellion on Etheria- are doing the best they can to reverse the brainwashing."  
"Yeah, I know." said Extendar. "But that's just not enough. Face it, they're never going to get anywhere. They've been trying for three years, but they've met with nothing but failure. I'm beginning to think he's gonna be doomed to stay with the forces of evil, not even remembering all the good times we had together."  
"Extendar, you must not worry." the Sorceress replied. "There WILL be a way. I promise you. On Etheria, the Rebellion is getting very close to breaking apart the Horde Empire. Once it has collapsed, they could easily find a way to change him back."  
"I….. I'm not sure." said Extendar. "There's an almost equal chance that Dragstor will be killed in battle, before we can find anything to do- or that any machine that can change him back could be destroyed. And I came here because- I think I'm gonna have to do something to change him back. I'm gonna have to take the portal to Etheria, and do something myself. It's our only hope."  
"There is no need, Extendar." said the Sorceress. "I can guarantee you, there will be some way of changing Dragstor back to human form. And we will find it! If you go alone, you will only land yourself in trouble. You would be better to wait until we pick up some chance to change him back. It could seem like a while….. but I assure you, it will happen."  
"Okay then." smiled Extendar. "I'll wait. Thank you, Sorceress." he turned away, and left Grayskull.  
But as he walked away from the castle, the thought of Dragstor causing havoc on Etheria, with no memory of his wonderful life as Doodon, played on Extendar's mind. He could not let it continue this way. He _had_ to break Hordak's brainwashing- even if the Sorceress thought it better not to. After all, how was anyone to know that there would not be some fight between the Horde and the Rebels this exact day, in which Dragstor would be crushed to death? Extendar could not let that happen. For once, he would go against the Sorceress' wishes. He would have to sneak through the portal without her noticing.  
Slowly, he made his way to the edge of the abyss. Then he grew to full size, reached out his arms, and gripped onto a window ledge. He pulled his whole body up, right through the window. Then he made his way through the corridors, until he reached the portal chamber. He found the portal to Etheria- and stepped through.

* * *

On the planet of Etheria, in Hordak's laboratory in Doom Tower, the metal-faced dictator carefully monitored the power graph on the computer system, as inches away, Modulok used a nozzle attached to a power console, to flood in energy from the Etherian power plants.  
The energy flow was going fine. Even though they had failed to gain extra energy from the Eternian power station, and the power consoles they had taken there had been destroyed, they still had plenty from the Etherian ones- but they would still need more if they were to gain the appropriate amount required to power the ultimate weapon, which would create a hurricane so strong that it would blast away the whole kingdom of Bright Moon, killing all the rebels.  
_It shouldn't be any problem_, thought Hordak. There were still other power sources on Etheria which they could steal energy from. They desperately needed it, amidst the growing threat of the Great Rebellion. The Rebellion had become so powerful, that several areas of Hordak's planet-wide empire had collapsed, fewer people were now held as slaves, the number of Horde minions had decreased massively, and it was looking more and more likely that the Rebels would be able to overthrow Hordak altogether. Horde Prime had become increasingly angry with his all-time favorite student's constant failures. Hordak had even failed to pose any major threat to He-Man, over on Eternia, even though he had made several attempts to seize Castle Grayskull.  
He knew that one of the main reasons why the Horde's rule had weakened was his own fault- though of course, he would never admit it to his minions. He had become way too over-confident in the war, and this had caused him to think up several schemes which were totally flawed from the start, and had cost him dearly. He had been driven to so much madness by his power and determination to defeat the rebels, that it had caused him to lose his brilliant thinking ability. He had decided a while back that he must stop getting so worked up, and think more carefully when planning a scheme. He could not afford to lose the war. He had returned to his old way of running the Horde- the way he had run it when he started up the army, before they took control of Etheria. He ran the Horde like a business, thinking carefully and even negotiating with his minions from time to time. Now that he was once again working along the lines which had led him to become ruler of the planet, he hoped that he could strengthen the Horde once again. With the new invention he was working towards- the gigantic machine which would generate a whirlwind so strong that it would blow up Bright Moon- he would hopefully be able to greatly minimise the Rebel threat.  
As the power graph on the computer screen got higher and higher, Modulok said "The power for the machine has been increased by 90%. We've got an incredible amount of electrical energy to use in our machine- but we're still going to need more."  
"That should be no problem, Modulok." said Hordak, as Modulok placed the nozzle back on the energy console. "I know somewhere that we can gain extra power. We must invade the laboratory of the Rebel scientist- Carlos."  
"Excellent idea." replied Modulok. "Carlos has a lot of machinery- we may be able to steal some of its power! We may even be able to steal some of his machinery….. I'm sure I could put it to better use than he ever could."  
"Then let us not waste time." said Hordak, his red eyes glowing brightly as he bared his sharp, metal red teeth. "You and I shall journey to Bright Moon at once and find a way to break into his lab. We need someone to stay here and use the power we have gained to feed into the Tornado Generator."  
"No problem." said Modulok. "I'll summon my assistant." he flicked a red button on one of the computers to send a signal to his own laboratory. Several moments later, the doors to the lift in the room opened, and out stepped a robotic figure, with two metal heads, four arms attached to his black metal body, and a long metal tail out of which sprung several robotic legs- looking like a robot version of Modulok. It was his robot assistant, Multi-Bot.  
Multi-Bot stepped towards Modulok, his mechanical circuits whirring.  
"Now, Multi-Bot," ordered Modulok, "You must stay here and feed the energy from the computer systems into the Tornado Generator." he flicked another switch, and the wall at the rear of the laboratory rose upwards, revealing a huge room behind, in which stood the gigantic, metal, but as yet unpowered machine- with a large fan behind a metal grating at the front. "Just use all the energy from the systems to zap into the machine."  
"Yes Master. I will follow your order." Multi-Bot responded, in his electronic, metallic voice. He went over to the computer systems, and started work.  
"Now I shall summon three of my most trusted warriors." said Hordak, and went over to a microphone built into his computer system. It was one of the many microphones, throughout Doom Tower, from which he could issue orders and important announcements to his Horde.  
"Catra, Dragstor and Vultak- come to the vehicle bay immediately. I repeat- Catra, Dragstor and Vultak- come to the vehicle bay immediately."  
Then he put the microphone down, turned to Modulok, and said "Now, Modulok, we shall be on our way to Bright Moon. Those warriors should be waiting in the vehicle bay when we get there." He led Modulok out of the laboratory, and towards the vehicle bay.

Out in the vehicle bay, where the many Batmex and Flying machines stood on the launchpads, Hordak and Modulok saw Catra, Dragstor and Vultak waiting for them. The three warriors stepped forward- the black-haired, long-nailed beauty with her cat furs wrapped round her waist, wearing black eyeshadow and black lipstick, the cyborg warrior with the built-in chest wheel, and the obscure-looking vulture man with his huge, gray wings.  
"You called us, master?" asked Catra, in her smooth, slinky voice.  
"Modulok and I are setting off to Bright Moon," replied Hordak, "to steal energy from the laboratory of Carlos, the Rebel scientist. I am trusting you three to keep guard of the Fright Zone while I am gone, and to fend off any intruders."  
The three evil warriors nodded at once.  
"Contact me if you face any problems." said Hordak. "Now we shall be going."  
He and Modulok went over to the Annihilator, boarded the machine, and blasted off for Bright Moon.

* * *

In an open meadow, not far from the kingdom of Bright Moon, a red portal opened in mid-air. Out stepped Extendar. As the portal closed, he took a glance around him, at the fields nearby and the towers of Bright Moon. He had reached Etheria. Now to find a way to reach the Fright Zone.  
He knew from his previous visits to this world that the Fright Zone was some way away from Bright Moon, and it would take a long time to get there if he just walked. He must find some means of transport. He could, of course, ask She-Ra and the Rebels- but they would probably advise him against the task he'd set himself. He wanted to accomplish it, no matter how dangerous it may be. So he walked several miles away from Bright Moon, until he came across a long, winding road. A digital sign, erected at the side of the road, bore the words "FRIGHT ZONE- THIS WAY".  
Extendar waited there several moments, wondering if he should follow this road. Before he could decide, he heard a rumbling sound behind him. He looked round, and saw a Horde tank approaching. It ground to a halt when it saw him. Extendar was just about ready to defend himself….. before it occurred to him that he could use this tank to sneak into the Fright Zone.  
The top of the tank opened, and a Trooper looked out. Extendar walked over to the trooper, and with one extension of his right arm….. BANG! He sliced the Trooper's head clean off. Then he climbed inside the tank. Luckily, there were no other Troopers on board- just the smouldering remains of the one he'd just smashed. Extendar sat at the controls, and propelled the tank in the direction of the Fright Zone.

Atop one of the balconies of Doom Tower stood the evil Vultak, his wings spread out wide, ready to fly towards any intruder and tear them apart with his long, sharp talons.  
On another balcony, lower down the great tower, stood Catra, her long, flowing black hair drifting slightly in the faint breeze. She had worked for Hordak for several years now, and was still as determined as ever to take the Horde leadership for herself.  
And watching from the vehicle bay, was the man-vehicle himself- Dragstor. He was one of Hordak's most trusted warriors, having been programmed to be fully loyal to the great leader of the Horde. Out of three experiments conducted on humans, in order to turn them into evil cyborgs, Dragstor had been the only successful one. The other two, Extendar and Snout Spout, had defected to the side of the Masters of the Universe. Except that Dragstor was totally unaware that he had once been a human being. As far as he could see, he had simply been created from scratch by Hordak. As he saw it, he'd been created alongside Extendar, except Extendar had been a traitor and betrayed Hordak. Dragstor hated Extendar more than any other heroic warrior because of the way he'd betrayed his master. He hoped he could destroy him someday. For Dragstor's first thought was to kill. He had little other thought- with the way Hordak had programmed him, he was little more than a mindless killing machine with nothing but hatred for all heroic warriors, and loyalty towards his master.  
Dragstor stood guard in the vehicle bay, keeping watch for any enemies who may be approaching.

After several hours in the Horde tank, Extendar drew closer to the Fright Zone. He rode the tank over the barren, rocky land around the city, and then zoomed into its streets, heading towards Doom Tower.  
As he drove the tank up the ramp towards the Tower, none of the Hordesmen on the lookout noticed anything suspicious. Since he was in a Horde tank, none of them could see Extendar inside.  
Extendar drove the tank over to the vehicle bay of Doom Tower. He parked it in a space between several other Horde tanks, so he would not look suspicious. Then he peered through the small window of the tank, and took a glance around the vehicle bay.  
It seemed pretty clear. The only other forms around there were Horde Troopers- and they posed no threat to him. He knew how easily those things fell apart. But there was another figure….. a little further back….. he could not see it quite as clearly. Extendar opened the top hatch of the tank, and looked out, then he strained his eyes to make out the figure.  
And he panicked when he realised who it was. There was no mistaking the vehicle-like appearance….. the striking, yellow, headlamp-like eyes, the wheel built-in to the chest. It was Dragstor- the very being he had come to find.  
Extendar ransacked his mind. What should he do? Normally Dragstor would attack automatically at the sight of a heroic warrior. But Extendar could never fight back to Dragstor. He could never stand to inflict pain on his former best friend. Yet he had to get hold of Dragstor somehow- he had to see if he could restore his human memory. Since he was alone with Dragstor, (ignoring the useless Troopers) this could be his opportunity. He would use it.  
Extendar got out of the Horde tank, and walked quietly along the vehicle bay. He slowly approached Dragstor.  
But upon the sight of him, Dragstor instantly switched into vehicle mode, and came cruising towards Extendar like a raging juggernaut. Extendar shot out his legs, and leaped over Dragstor, whose speed caused him to cruise straight across the vehicle bay, missing Extendar and almost crashing into a parked Batmex machine. Dragstor ground to a halt just in time, but he swerved round, ready to charge towards Extendar once again.  
Extendar shot out his torso slightly….. and his neck and limbs- so he was taller, but not at full height. He may have to inflict some slight pain on Dragstor in order to get hold of him. He watched carefully as Dragstor came cruising towards him again….. quickly flinging his fists up as he approached Extendar…..  
And Extendar seized hold of Dragstor's fists with his extra long arms, and pulled the man-vehicle off the ground, his chest-wheel still spinning rapidly.  
"Listen Dragstor-" said Extendar. "I don't want to fight you. You used to be my friend- don't you remember? When we were Theydon and Doodon! You were Doodon- we used to race together, do you remember? And then one day, I fell in some quicksand, and you saved me….."  
He stopped, and looked into Dragstor's eyes. His words seemed to be having no effect. Dragstor's eyes were as evil and bloodthirsty as ever, and he didn't seem to be listening to Extendar at all- just struggling to break free from his grasp.  
"Let….. me….. go!" he hissed, breaking his left arm free from Extendar. Then he called to the nearest Trooper- "We have an intruder!!! We must arrest him immediately- summon Catra and Vultak!"  
The Trooper punched in a code on his wrist-radio, and called "Catra and Vultak to vehicle bay- we have an intruder!"  
Dragstor started punching at Extendar's metal torso with his left fist, as he struggled to free himself. Extendar felt no pain, but he had to tighten his grip on Dragstor to prevent him from escaping. He had to restore his memory- and he could not hurt him too much!  
"Dragstor, just stop struggling- I don't wanna fight! I have something important- you must listen!"  
"Why should I listen to you? I know all about you and how you betrayed Hordak! I live to destroy you!"  
"Please Dragstor, you don't understand- you see, you weren't always like you are now….."  
He was cut off as a huge, repulsive flying creature swooped down and seized hold of Dragstor's shoulders, writhing him out of Extendar's grasp. It was Vultak!  
The grotesque creature landed in front of Extendar, and said "Who dares intrude on Fright Zone premises?"  
"I know him!" said a striking, delicate female voice. Extendar looked round to see the beautiful but evil-looking Catra, with her claw-like hands, and her deep black make-up. "He is Extendar, one of He-Man's warriors. We must overpower him!"  
"And he betrayed Hordak when he was created!" said Dragstor. "We must destroy him at once!"  
The three evil warriors charged towards Extendar, grabbing tight hold of him. Extendar knew he was strong enough to knock Vultak and Catra back….. but he could not risk hurting Dragstor.  
The evil warriors dragged him through a door, towards the Fright Zone dungeon. Extendar could not risk being slaughtered before he had the chance to save Dragstor. With one burst of might from his cyborg body, he broke himself free of the evil warriors' clutches, kicking Catra and Vultak to one side, and pushing Dragstor away from him gently.  
"You can not escape this so easily….." hissed Dragstor.  
"He cannot." said Catra. "Especially since earlier, I activated Dylamug!"  
Out from the shadows stepped a huge, robotic figure- a massive, rectangular-shaped droid with a skull-like face and long metal claws. This was a dangerous Horde machine known as Dylamug. The robot seized tight hold of Extendar with its metal claws, then smashed him down on the ground several times, until Extendar was completely knocked out cold.

When Extendar awoke, he was imprisoned in a dark cell, his electronic limbs held tightly to the wall by electro-bonds which he could not break.  
Catra, Vultak, Dragstor and Dylamug stood before him.  
"We knew you'd easily escape from our regular prison." said Catra. "So we decided to use the electro-bonds. You can't possibly escape." A slow, evil smile spread over her black lips. Then she pulled out a communication device, and punched in Hordak's code.  
"Catra to Hordak- come in, Master."  
The deep, striking voice of Hordak was heard over the radio. "Yes, Force Captain Catra, what do you want?"  
"I have captured the Eternian warrior Extendar. He had the foolishness to intrude upon the Fright Zone. I've imprisoned him by electro-bonds from which he has no chance of escape."  
"Perfect." said Hordak. "It is about time I took revenge on that fool who had the nerve to betray me. Once my mission is complete, I will return- and choose the appropriate way for Extendar to perish."  
"I'll await your return Master. Over and out."  
As Catra tucked her communicator into her belt, Dragstor hissed "I hope Hordak allows me to destroy Extendar. I can't wait to make him pay for betraying Hordak."  
"Then you keep guard of this cell, Dragstor." said Catra, "Just in case he _does_ find a way to escape. We'd better leave and continue our patrol."  
Catra, Dylamug and Vultak departed, leaving Dragstor to watch over Extendar.  
Extendar felt a great sadness as he watched the evil eyes of his former friend look down on him with evil contempt. "Dragstor….." he said, "Please….. just listen….."  
"For the last time, I will not listen to your foolishness!" shouted Dragstor. "Now you just wait until the Master arrives. He and I shall find a most fitting demise for you, you foolish traitor!"  
Dragstor went over to the entrance to the cell, and stood guard. Extendar was left held there, tight against the wall, barely able to move. And he was being guarded by the being who should be his best friend. And Dragstor wouldn't even listen to him. But surely it was still possible? Surely there must be _some_ way that he could restore Dragstor to his true self?

* * *

Back on Eternia, in the Royal Palace of Eternos City, Man-At-Arms worked hard on a new vehicle, as just outside, Teela fought against her father's battle robot- a small, round machine that hovered in mid-air, fighting against her with a sword. This robot had helped her to train and improve her fighting skills many times.  
The robot came hurling towards her through the air with its sword. Teela quickly countered the sword with her own, but the robot was too fast for her and knocked it out of her hand. Teela dodged aside, then dove to the ground to retrieve her sword. Once she had hold of it, she leaped into the air, bringing it crashing against the robot, which hurled backwards through mid-air, dropping its sword as it did so.  
Teela stood triumphant, as the robot stopped and hovered in the same place for several seconds, recovering from Teela's blow. "I win." said Teela, smiling triumphantly.  
Man-At-Arms came out of his laboratory. "That robot sure does put up a good fight, but you're beating it far more often now!" he said.  
"You bet I am!" laughed Teela. "That thing used to scare me as a kid, with how fast it was!"  
"Ah well, bet I could have done better." came a voice from behind Teela. She spun round to see Prince Adam standing close behind her.  
"_You_?!" laughed Teela. "Don't be so boastful, Adam! I'd like to see how you fare against that robot!"  
"Oh yeah? Well watch this!" said Adam. He drew his power sword, which Teela still did not recognise as He-Man's sword of power. The robot came flying towards him, and Adam stood brandishing the sword, ready for defence. The robot paused briefly to retrieve its sword from the ground, then came flying towards Adam once again. He struck out his sword to clash against the robot's….. and the robot struck back, knocking his sword back, then swiping at it again and sending the sword crashing to the ground. The robot hovered in mid-air, its eyes flashing in triumphance.  
"Damn, looks like I need more practice against that thing!" laughed Adam.  
Teela laughed out loud. "I think you'll need a _lot_ of practice!" she smiled.  
"Ah, well….. maybe." said Adam. Then he whispered under his breath "Or maybe when I'm not He-Man, anyway." Teela didn't hear him. Adam shrugged, knowing that hiding his secret from her was considered best by the ways of Grayskull. "Anyway, the real reason I came here was because I'm a little worried about something."  
"What's wrong?" asked Man-At-Arms.  
"It's Extendar." replied Adam. "I haven't seen him since this morning, and….. I know he sometimes just goes out, but….. he was a little down earlier."  
"Why? What was wrong?"  
"Well, you know all that about him and Dragstor." said Adam.  
"Oh yeah." said Teela. "They used to be best friends when they were human."  
"Yeah, well….. I think He-Man and Extendar had had a fight with some Horde members when they went to save that power plant….. and Dragstor was one of them. I think seeing his former friend fighting against him made Extendar a little distraught. He was feeling really down when he got back, and I'm just worried because I haven't seen him since."  
"He's probably just taken a lone walk to recover." said Man-At-Arms. "You can imagine how it must feel, having his best friend taken from him that way. Or maybe he's gone to Grayskull. He often seeks comfort from the Sorceress when he's feeling down."  
"Yeah, that's probably where he is." said Adam. "I think I'll just go to Grayskull and take a look for myself."  
"Come on, Adam, there's no need to go that far." said Teela. "I'm not sure The Sorceress would want you coming into Grayskull just to see if your friend's there. Extendar will be back soon. There's no need to worry."  
"Teela, I just wanna make sure he's okay." said Adam. "He's my friend, so I've a right to be concerned about him. I want to show him I'm always here for him too. So I think I'm entitled to go to Grayskull, okay?"  
"Well….. yeah, I guess so." said Teela.  
"I shouldn't be long." said Adam. "I'll just take a Wind Raider."  
Adam went over to the vehicle bay, stepped into the cockpit of one of the Wind Raiders, and blasted off for Grayskull.

Shortly afterwards, the figure of the great stone castle came into view. Adam landed the Wind Raider before the abyss, and the jaw bridge creaked open. He walked across it and into the dark castle. He entered the throne room, where he was greeted by The Sorceress.  
"Greetings, Adam." she said. "What brings you to Grayskull?"  
"I'm just a little concerned about Extendar." said Adam. "He accompanied me on a mission at the power station earlier, and we fought against some Horde members there. But one of them was Dragstor, and….. as usual, Extendar couldn't bring himself to fight him. We won, but after the battle Extendar seemed really down, and he seemed to suddenly vanish a while after. I just wondered if he's been here, since he visits you so often."  
"Don't worry, Prince Adam." replied the Sorceress gently. "Extendar did come here earlier to seek my help. He told me he was thinking of going to Etheria to try to turn Dragstor back himself."  
"Oh no- you didn't let him go did you?" said Adam. "Because if he went alone, he'd….. he'd fall victim to the Horde within seconds."  
"He did not go." said the Sorceress. "I told him it would be wiser to wait and see if you or She-Ra found a way to turn Dragstor back. He agreed, and left the castle."  
"Ah, right." said Adam. "That's okay then. He's probably just gone somewhere alone, to recover. Thanks for your help, Sorceress."  
"Any time, Adam." the Sorceress replied. Adam left the castle, returned to the Wind Raider, and blasted off, heading back to the palace.

* * *

On Etheria, in the kingdom of Bright Moon, in the scientific institute, the rebel scientist Carlos was discussing plans with his closest comrades- Glimmer, the leader of the Great Rebellion, and Adora, the former Horde Force Captain who now defended Etheria in her other form of She-Ra.  
"We've been doing some great work lately." said Glimmer, sitting with the other two around Carlos' research table.  
"You couldn't be more right Glimmer." replied Carlos. "We're on the verge of eliminating the Horde rule of Etheria once and for all! Hordak has outstayed his welcome far too long!"  
Adora hung her head slightly. "It still hurts me to think of how I helped Hordak out for so many years." she said. "So many people's lives were wrecked because of me. I keep feeling I don't deserve to be part of the Rebellion."  
"Don't worry, Adora, of course you do!" said Glimmer. "You've more than made up for all you did in the Horde, with the way you've saved Etheria as She-Ra. Just think of the amount of people whose lives you've helped restore since you joined the Rebellion!"  
"Yeah, I suppose so." said Adora, thinking back to the times when she had been an aggressive, psychotic Horde captain, who loved nothing more than slaughtering people, sleeping around and generally doing anything immoral. She was glad that Horde Prime's brainwashing had been overcome, or Etheria could have been in a complete state of wreck by now. She looked up at her friends. "But there seems to always be this voice in my head….. that tells me I don't deserve to be in the Rebellion."  
"Obvious diagnosis- paranoia!" said Carlos, snapping his fingers, "You need think nothing of it. You know, I need to work on a device to prevent your paranoia, Adora. It _has_ to be cured!" "Sounds a pretty weird idea." said Glimmer, tauntingly and half-smiling.  
"What was that?!" said Carlos, spinning round to face Glimmer. "I hope you didn't say what I thought you said….."  
"Er….. no, I said, er….." she struggled for an answer "I just said 'I feel like drinking Beer'!"  
"Yeah, right." said Carlos, getting to his feet. "I know what you said!!! And I can tell you that no science is weird!" Suddenly a machine nearby started bleeping loudly, flashing a red light. "Actually, I take it back." Carlos said. "HIS science is weird."  
"What are you on about, Carlos?" said Glimmer. "Whose science is weird? And why's that machine beeping?"  
"It's beeping because it's a new machine I invented that senses the presence of Horde Members. And since I know everything, I know which Horde Members are lurking outside at this very moment. And one of them dabbles in….. very weird science."  
"There's Horde members outside?" said Glimmer, jumping to her feet. "We've gotta get at them- come on Adora!"

Outside the lab, Modulok and Hordak were looking up at the window. Already it looked like their plan could have been foiled- since the moment they had approached, some machine in the lab had started beeping.  
"Blast it." said Hordak. "It looks as though they may have sensed us already. But we can still go ahead with our plan. I'll keep those fools busy while you steal some machinery."  
"No problem, Hordak." said Modulok. "Let us not waste time."  
Hordak converted to rocket mode, and shot up towards the window, while Modulok split his body into many small parts, and stealthily climbed up the wall.

In the lab, Carlos, Adora and Glimmer made their way towards the window- when a huge, rocket-shaped form burst through the glass and into the lab. It was Hordak, in rocket form.  
"Hordak!" cried Glimmer. "Is he the one whose science is 'weird', Carlos?"  
"No, I meant- him!" said Carlos- pointing to the thin, red limbs inching their way through the smashed window, followed by a head, torso and legs.  
"Modulok!" cried Adora. "Yeah, his science is pretty weird alright!"  
"Anyway, why are you invading my lab, Hordak?" said Carlos, as Hordak reverted to his regular form. "If you want something, you only need to knock. Not that I'd let you have it anyway, but it would be much better manners!"  
"Out of my way!" bellowed Hordak, his red eyes flashing as he converted his arm to cannon mode and blasted a shot at the three rebels. They each dodged aside, and Adora took out her pistol and fired a blast at Hordak.  
"You dare fire at your master, Adora?" said Hordak, angrily.  
"You're no master of mine, metal head!" scowled Adora. "I'll never join the Horde again! Now get out of here at once!"  
"Not without a fight first." said Hordak, and his chest opened, unleashing the electronic buzz-saw within. The buzz-saw came whirring towards them, but Carlos took out a small device from one of the inner pockets of his jacket….. and fired a blast of lightning at Hordak, sending him flying back.  
Carlos held up the device with pride as Hordak fell to the ground. "This is my new device- the lightning striker! Inspired by the works of Layan Karv of Illashia."  
"I care not for your pathetic devices." said Hordak, charging towards them. "I want only your power!!!!!"  
Glimmer countered Hordak with a bolt of light from the palm of her hand, and the battle raged on.  
None of the Rebels had noticed that Modulok had sneaked over to the far side of the laboratory, and was slowly gathering together the metal power chargers around the lab. He held one in each of the six arms which sprouted from his torso. Then he made his way over to Carlos' teleportation machine. Just then, Carlos sensed that Modulok was stealing his chargers, and he leaped away from the fight and ran towards Modulok.  
"Drop my chargers right away, Nycoff!" he shouted.  
"How many times have I told you, Galen Nycoff is no more! My name is Modulok!"  
"You'll always be Galen Nycoff to me, I'm afraid." said Carlos. "I remember all those crazy ideas you used to come up with when you were human! I never met you then, but I sure did hear about you!"  
"What crazy ideas?" scoffed Modulok, his tones sounding slightly hurt. "Year after year I have put up with such jibes from those with only narrow scientific views. I have learned to ignore them, but I must admit it sounds hurtful coming from one with such marvellous and innovative skills as yourself. You would be a perfect sidekick to me with your science, Carlos, If only you would devote your skills to the Horde."  
"Then if you really admire my skills so much, why don't you just defect to our side?" said Carlos. "It would be a heck of a lot better. But quit the small talk and give me those chargers back!"  
Modulok ignored him, and shouted to Hordak. "I'm ready! I have six chargers which should be just what we need!"  
Hordak stopped fighting, and ran towards Modulok. "Excellent work." he said. "Now we can leave."  
Adora and Glimmer went over to Carlos, and the three of them were about to fire at the evil warriors- but it was too late. Modulok flicked a switch on the teleportation machine to teleport them back into the Batmex outside.  
"So they just came to steal my chargers." said Carlos. "They must want it for some new machine. No doubt it'll be for the same reason why they've invaded those power plants. I don't know exactly what their new machine is, but I know it's something big."  
"Then let's get over there and get 'em back!" said Glimmer.  
"Sure thing." said Adora. "But I am going as She-Ra!"  
She took out the sword of protection from the invisible sheath on her back, held it above her head, and shouted:

"FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL…..  
I AM SHE-RA!!!!!"

The familiar coil of light erupted from the sword, encircling her body and transforming her to She-Ra, Princess of Power.  
"Let's get to the Hover Beetle, quickly!" said Carlos. "We must follow them to the Fright Zone!"

Several hours later, Hordak and Modulok had reached the Fright Zone, and in Hordak's laboratory were zapping the energy from Carlos' chargers into the Tornado Generator.  
"This is excellent work." said Hordak, his eyes blazing. "Soon the whole kingdom of Bright Moon will be destroyed by our power."  
"Carlos' chargers are giving us an incredible amount of energy." said Modulok. "Before long the weapon will be complete, and it will achieve just the effect we intend."  
"You have assisted me well, Modulok." said Hordak. "I will promote you greatly in the ranks of my army, once we've finished this machine."  
"I have enjoyed working alongside you." Modulok replied. "It's been good to work with someone who appreciates my skills… at least you appreciate me more than Skeletor ever did."  
Hordak laughed at the thought of Skeletor. "Skeletor! It amuses me to think of how pathetic his attempts to conquer Eternia are. He will be defeated before long- and shall end up kneeling at my feet as he watches me take over the universe!"  
Suddenly there came a shout. "You'll never take over the universe while we're around!"  
Hordak and Modulok spun around. She-Ra was standing in the doorway, with Glimmer and Carlos at her side!  
"Blast it!" exclaimed Modulok. "I _knew_ we'd be followed here by Rebels! But they pose no problem- we'll get on with the job nevertheless, Hordak. I'll summon Multi-Bot to deal with them! He flicked a switch on the computer console nearby, to summon Multi-Bot. Within seconds, the robot emerged from the lift, and slowly inched his way towards the Rebels.  
"This robot is no match for us!" shouted She-Ra, striking her sword against the robot's metal chest. But then, Multi-Bot split up into thousands of small electronic body parts, and scattered wildly around the room- firing laser bolts from his eyes and wrist-guns in every direction!!!  
"Defend yourselves!" shouted She-Ra, swishing her sword to block the lasers in every direction. At the same time, Carlos shot out bolts from his lightning striker, turning several of Multi-Bot's body parts to smouldering rubble, as Glimmer shot out beams from her tiara jewel and her hands.  
Multi-Bot's lasers forced them to back out of the laboratory as they fought with him, but She-Ra shouted "If you really don't want us to win, Hordak, then you and Modulok should join in the fight- Multi-Bot is no match for us!"  
"Then it's fortunate that I left extra fighters outside." replied Hordak. And before the Rebels could look, Vultak and Batros swooped down on them from the ceiling! Batros caught Glimmer in his huge bat wings, and wrapped them around her! She tried with all her might to break free, but it was no use- his wings were invincible!  
Vultak was clawing wildly at Carlos, as the scientist shot bolt after bolt at him from the lightning striker. But Vultak was too fast, and flew to the other side of the corridor each time Carlos fired.  
And before She-Ra could try to rescue her friends, a segment of the wall slid open….. and out stepped Hordak's most feared assassin of all- the blood-lusting Mosquitor.  
The terrifying, colossal insectoid gripped tight hold of She-Ra, and jabbed into her neck with his long, metal insectoid head. He sucked rapidly at her blood, and his chest slowly began to fill up…..  
"Drag her away, Mosquitor!" shouted Hordak. "Get her into the dungeon, where I can give her her final punishment later!!!!!"  
So Mosquitor tightened his grip on the Princess of Power, forcing her through the corridors, down several floors….. until they reached the basement dungeon. Mosquitor dragged the struggling She-Ra past several cells- and She-Ra's eyes opened wide with shock as she saw that imprisoned in one of the cells was her brother's close ally- Extendar! And he was being guarded by Dragstor!  
"She-Ra!" called Extendar. "You must help me! I'm completely trapped!"  
"Hang on Extendar!" called She-Ra. She struggled to break free of Mosquitor's grip- but he had her pretty tight, and had drained too much of her blood, so she was too weak to break free. He dragged her further down the corridor, towards an empty cell!  
"She-Ra!" she heard Extendar call.  
"I'll get help! I will!" she called back, hoping he could hear.  
Mosquitor struck her against the wall, and cuffed the electro-bonds around her feet, tightening her to the wall. So she quickly got out her sword, and called into the jewel in the center….. "Sorceress! I need He-Man's help! Extendar is imprisoned in the dungeon at Doom Tower! You must get help….."  
She was cut off as Mosquitor knocked the sword from her hand to the ground, and tightened electro-bonds around her wrists. She was now held tightly to the wall, feeling weak….. with blood pouring from a gash in her neck, which Mosquitor had drunk from. Once she was held firmly against the wall, Mosquitor departed from the cell, his chest pumping with swirling red liquid which was the blood of She-Ra.  
She-Ra looked down at the sword on the ground, hoping and praying that the Sorceress had heard her call. And within a few seconds, she heard the delicate voice of the Sorceress saying:  
"Do not worry She-Ra….. He-Man will come….. quickly!"

* * *


	2. Part 2

QUEST FOR DRAGSTOR

BY

AIDAN CROSS

7/22/99

* * *

PART 2 

Back on Eternia, Man-At-Arms and Teela sat together at a table outside Man-At-Arms' lab, the twin moons shining down from the evening sky above them, the towers of Eternos glinting brightly. They were eating a barbecued meal together. Beside Teela was an empty seat, with an untouched third dinner on the table above it.  
"You cooked these ribs well, Teela." said Man-At-Arms to Teela, as he finished chewing on the barbecued rib. "These are the best I've had in a long while."  
"Thanks." said Teela. "And to think Adam had the nerve to say I was a bad cook! Speaking of Adam, where's he got to? He hasn't even touched his meal."  
"He said he was just going for a few minutes, but he's been gone….. ten minutes. I wonder what he's up to? Wait, I can see him up there, on that balcony. He's got a pair of binoculars."  
"What's he doing up there?" said Teela. "His meal's gone cold! Come on, Father, let's join him and see what he's up to."  
Man-At-Arms and Teela went into the palace and took the lift up to the next floor, then stepped out onto the balcony, where Adam stood gazing through his binoculars into the distance, over the streets of Eternos, the shining towers and the starry evening sky.  
Teela clamped her hand down on Adam's shoulder. "What are you doing, Adam?"  
Adam jumped and cried out, turning round rapidly and almost dropping his binoculars. "Teela!" he shouted, gasping for breath. "You scared me!"  
"I always scare you." joked Teela. "I'm just wondering why on Eternia you're messing around up here when you should have been eating the meal I cooked for you! It's gone cold, you know."  
"Yeah, well, I forgot about it." Adam said. "You see, I'm a little worried about something."  
"What's that, Adam?"  
"It's Extendar." replied Adam lowly. "I know the Sorceress told me earlier that he left Grayskull after talking to her, but….. it's not like him to be out this late without contacting us. He should at least have contacted us. I'm just worried that something's happened to him."  
"Come on, Adam, stop worrying so much!" said Teela. "The Sorceress said he'd sought her help, then left Grayskull- so he probably just went out for a stroll and has chosen to stay out late. And even if he _has_ got into trouble, he's able to take care of himself! Stop worrying!"  
"I'm not so sure." said Adam. "I can't help but feel he's in serious danger. Maybe we should go out and look for him."  
"There's no need to!" said Teela. "I betcha, he'll be back any minute now!"  
"No, I think Adam's right." said Man-At-Arms. "It definitely isn't like Extendar to be out this late without contacting us. Maybe he is alright, but we'd better make sure- especially since you never know what new schemes Skeletor might have come up with."  
"I know that Buzz-Off was patrolling round Snake Mountain today." said Adam. "Let's see if we can contact him over your computer, Duncan."  
"Good idea, Adam." said Man-At-Arms. "Come on."  
As Adam and Man-At-Arms turned and headed for Man-At-Arms' lab, Teela said "Okay, you can go contact Buzz-Off. I'll clear up Adam's wasted dinner….. oh well, call me if you need me."

Adam and Man-At-Arms reached the laboratory and went over to the computer. Man-At-Arms tapped several keys, called "Come in, Buzz-Off." and within seconds, the large computer screen flickered on, showing the face of the winged spy, with his bee-like eyes and yellow skin.  
"Yes, Duncan?" called Buzz-Off.  
"You've been flying over Snake Mountain today, haven't you?"  
"I sure have." the spy replied.  
"You haven't seen anything suspicious, have you?"  
"Absolutely nothing." said Buzz-Off. "Skeletor and his crew seem to be pretty quiet today."  
"Then have you seen any sign of Extendar?"  
"Extendar? No, sorry, no sign of him. I'll let you know if I do see him, though."  
"Thanks very much, Buzz-Off." said Man-At-Arms. "Over and out."  
"Well, it doesn't look like Skeletor's got him." said Adam, as the screen went blank again. "Maybe he is safe….."  
All of a sudden he heard the voice of the Sorceress in his head. "Adam….. you are needed on Etheria urgently! She-Ra has contacted me….. she says she's seen Extendar, imprisoned in one of Hordak's dungeons! You must come quickly, as He-Man….. your friend is in serious danger!"  
"By the Elders!" exclaimed Adam. "He sure is in danger! I'll be over right away."  
"What was that?" asked Man-At-Arms.  
"The Sorceress told me where Extendar is." said Adam. "I've gotta get to Grayskull right away, he's in far worse danger than we ever dreamed of!"  
"Why? What's happened?"  
"She says he's imprisoned in Hordak's dungeon!"  
"HORDAK?!!" exclaimed Man-At-Arms. "So he's on Etheria?! But how….. how did he get there?"  
"I've no idea." said Adam. "But I've gotta get over there- as He-Man!"  
He pulled out the sword of power from the sheath on his back, held it aloft, and shouted:

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…..  
I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!"

In an instant, there was a huge flash of light, which transformed him into the mighty form of He-Man.  
"I'll take a Jet Sled to Grayskull straight away!" He-Man told Duncan. "If I need help when I'm on Etheria, I'll call!"  
"Good luck, He-Man!" said Man-At-Arms, and He-Man ran to the vehicle bay, leaped upon a Jet Sled, and blasted off for Castle Grayskull.

When He-Man reached Grayskull, he instantly went to the Sorceress' chamber.  
"I'm glad you came, He-Man." she said. "Extendar could be in terrible danger. It seems that somehow, without me noticing, he has ventures into the portal to Etheria, to rescue Dragstor himself!"  
"By the Elders….. I must save him!"  
"My magic tells me that She-Ra is also imprisoned in the same dungeon!" said the Sorceress. "She must have been struggling to contact me! Etheria could be in great danger if Hordak has captured She-Ra."  
"Then if both my friend and my sister need my help, I'll give it." said He-Man. "Lead me to the portal, Sorceress!"  
She led him to the portal corridor, and the time gate to Etheria burst open.  
"I will use my magic to set the portal so it transports you to a spot close to the Fright Zone." said the Sorceress. "Good luck, He-Man!"  
"Thank you, Sorceress!" said He-Man, and boldly stepped inside the portal to Etheria.  
He emerged on a barren landscape, and in the distance saw the black Fright Zone city. Nearby was the huge valley that was once Slave Valley- the most feared place on Etheria- before He-Man had destroyed the workings there and freed the slaves.  
He looked ahead to the red neon light atop Doom Tower- which was in the shape of the Horde bat symbol. He could not waste time- he had to get inside and rescue Extendar and She-Ra.  
Bravely, he made his way towards Doom Tower.

* * *

In Hordak's dungeon, Extendar struggled with all his might against the electro-bonds that held him against the wall. But it was no use. The electrical impulses within them were strong enough to prevent any strength from breaking through them.  
Extendar had seen that She-Ra had also been taken prisoner in the same dungeon, but obviously she must be held by the same kind of electro-bonds, as she was unable to break free and rescue him. The only light Extendar had, besides the green, pulsating energy within the electro-bonds, was the shimmering blue light on the ceiling, which illuminated the dark dungeon, and the figure of Dragstor standing guard of Extendar.  
Extendar had tried talking to Dragstor, to see if he would listen. It was doing no good, but he had to keep trying.  
"Dragstor….. please, just listen to me! We used to be friends….."  
Dragstor just raised his fist, aiming his wrist-blasters at Extendar, his eyes glowing menacingly. "You say one more thing, and I fire at you!"  
Extendar sank back. It was going to be incredibly difficult to try and restore Dragstor's memory, even if he did manage to break free. His friend had clearly been completely brainwashed. He didn't even bear any physical or mental resemblance to his original form. Extendar worried that he may have to kill Dragstor if he was unsuccessful in restoring his memory. Even though it was against his code, he'd rather Dragstor was dead than doomed to a lifetime in wilful service to Hordak.  
Within a few moments, Hordak arrived in the dungeon. He moved towards Extendar's cell, his red eyes glowing in the blackness.  
"I see we have two most distinguished captives here." said Hordak. "Things are going perfectly for the Horde at the moment- Modulok and I have almost finished work on our new weapon- and now we've captured two of our greatest enemies." he threw his evil glare into Extendar's eyes. "First we have the great traitor." he said. "He who dared betray Hordak and leave to join He-Man's army."  
"I remember that day you created him, Hordak." said Dragstor. "You created him with me, and even though it was clear what a fine master you were, he chose to betray you. Let me kill him, master! I've longed to pay him back for what he did, ever since I was created!"  
"Very well, Dragstor." said Hordak. "Let us take him down to the torture chamber, where I will allow you to….."  
Extendar felt gripped with fear. Would he stand a chance in Hordak's torture chamber? And he could not stand to be killed by his own best friend! But then he noticed that Hordak had suddenly paused.  
"No, wait!" said Hordak. "We should not kill Extendar. We have known for a long time of the great power which I gave him, and of the many times he's saved Eternia from evil. Well, he'd make a fine warrior if he were evil- like he always should have been!"  
"You are right, master." replied Dragstor. "He was created to be a sidekick for me- so let us change him, so he can be what he was always meant to be!"  
"Yes." said Hordak. "We shall take him over to my lab, where in the deeper sections lies the machinery which is required to turn Extendar into a Hordesman. Of course, it is not the same machinery I used to create you- that was destroyed by Skeletor's lackey Merman when I hid it undersea. It is simply machinery similar to the original type, and it should be able to convert Extendar to our side in no time. Before long, he will be on our side."  
"No!" shouted Extendar. "You can't! You can never make me evil, like Dragstor! Listen Dragstor, you must trust me- we used to be friends-"  
"And you can be friends again!" shouted Hordak. "When I've completed my experiment on you, you and Dragstor shall work together as a duo of assassins. Your wish will come true, Extendar. Release him from the electro-bonds, Dragstor- and we'll take him to the lab!"  
Dragstor yanked the electro-bonds away from Extendar's limbs, and dragged him out of the cell. They made their way across the dungeon, and past She-Ra's cell, where they came to a halt. Extendar struggled to get free. Hordak knew Extendar was stronger than Dragstor, so he raised his arm, converted it to a cannon, and shouted "You struggle any further, Extendar, and you will not live to see another day! Now, let me decide what to do with our second captive- She-Ra, the warrior woman who for several years has attempted in vain to terminate my rule."  
"You fiend!" shouted She-Ra. "What have you done with Carlos and Glimmer?"  
"You mean- what has Batros done with them?"  
"You called, master?" came the voice of the bat warrior. A trapdoor in the ceiling sprung open, and Batros swooped down, his huge gray wings spread out.  
"Making an entrance as usual, Batros?" said Hordak. "Tell She-Ra what you've done with her foolish companions."  
"Ah, they were no match for my wings!" laughed Batros, in his crackly voice. "Once wrapped around a human being, my wings are invincible- and once Vultak had forced Glimmer and Carlos inside my wings, they stood no chance of escape. Even Carlos' lightning device could not break through! Currently they reside in the Horde training bay, totally paralysed by Modulok's stun gun. And there they serve the role of living statues for the Hordesmen's firing practice!"  
"Excellent work, Batros." said Hordak. "So now we may give She-Ra her deserved execution….. if you take her to the torture chamber!"  
"I will." said Batros, and stepped towards She-Ra, ripping the electro-bonds away from her. She-Ra quickly dived down, retrieved her sword, and aimed it at Batros. "Stay away from me!" she shouted. Batros quickly reacted, by throwing his invincible wings around her. She-Ra struggled to get free, but the power within Batros' wings prevented her from escaping.  
"Struggle all you like, Princess of Power, but it is no use!" laughed Batros.  
"Take her to the torture chamber, Batros." said Hordak. "Dragstor and I will take Extendar to the lab….. and soon we'll have a new warrior on our side….. one who should have been with us a long time ago."  
Batros left with She-Ra in the direction of the torture chamber, and Hordak and Dragstor hauled Extendar up to the laboratory.  
Once inside the lab, Extendar was taken over to some machinery which resembled that which had been used to transform him from Theydon to Extendar. His mind was filled with unpleasant flashback images as he remembered the day he'd been changed….. and found that his friend had joined the Horde.  
"You can't do this!" he shouted. "Don't you remember, Hordak? The reason why the original machine failed to brainwash me was because my anger about what you were doing to my friend kept my mind intact, which was why I regained it afterwards!"  
"Well, that was the original machinery." said Hordak. "This is new, improved machinery, with strength a million times greater. You'll be on our side in no time. Load him in, Dragstor!"  
Dragstor pushed Extendar into a metal seat, and electric belts came shooting out of nowhere, strapping him in place- just as had happened when he was originally experimented on. Hordak began to flick several switches and levers on the machine, programming the machine to brainwash Extendar. Within seconds, bolts of electricity were coursing violently around Extendar's body, and random images of war and destruction began to fill his mind.  
"It's working!" said Hordak. "Now, Dragstor, you keep guard of Extendar. I will go to the torture chamber, and make sure that She-Ra's demise is fitting."  
Hordak departed, leaving Dragstor to guard Extendar. _This cannot be_, thought Extendar. Here he was, being brainwashed by Hordak, becoming a mindless killing machine like his former friend. How he hated Hordak for what he was doing! He wanted to murder him! He wanted to drive an electric drill through his metal chest, sever his arms, set his body on fire and leave him to perish, burning whilst his body was impaled on the sharpest spikes in the universe…..  
Suddenly Extendar caught himself. He'd never had such sadistic thoughts as these before. It couldn't be….. but it was. The machine was working.  
Extendar's mind was turning EVIL.

* * *

As He-Man approached Doom Tower, he wasted no time in looking for a way to get inside. He knew that if he took the main entrance, he'd be seen by a Trooper- but he wanted to make his way inside silently, so it would be easier for him to rescue Extendar and She-Ra. He walked past what looked like a Horde Training Ground- a large open space in which six Horde Troopers were practising firing. Suddenly He-Man noticed that they were practising on what appeared to be two paralysed human beings! He-Man edged closer, slowly, to see who they were. And he was shocked as he recognised them- there was no mistaking their identities. One was a young woman with wild, back-combed hair dyed bright pink, wearing a purple bodysuit and blue tights, and the other was a tall, thin man in his early thirties with jet black hair, high cheekbones and a smart executive suit. They were She-Ra's main sidekicks, Carlos and Glimmer.  
And He-Man could not allow them to serve as mere target practices for the Horde Troopers. He drew his sword, and dived in the way of the Troopers' lasers, deflecting them with his sword.  
"He-Man!" exclaimed one of the Troopers, in its robotic voice.  
"I'm flattered that you metal rustbuckets know who I am!" joked He-Man, as two of the Troopers rushed towards him to fight him. He seized the first one by the arms and flung him over his head. Then he quickly disarmed the next one by swinging his powerful sword at him, slashing him through the chest. The Trooper hissed and crumbled to the ground. Another four kept their distance, but began to fire at him- so He-Man used his sword to deflect their bolts back at them, before throwing one mighty blast from the sword itself, reducing them all to scrap metal at once. Now that all the Troopers had been dealt with, He-Man rushed over to Glimmer and Carlos and used his sword to free them from the effects of the paralysis ray.  
"Whew, thank goodness you came." said Carlos. "I've usually been pretty good at escaping the Horde in the past, but that one occasion was extraordinarily tough!"  
"Thanks very much, He-Man!" said Glimmer, smiling in admiration. "I'm so glad you're here!"  
"Yep, I knew you'd be coming here soon." said Carlos. "I just knew."  
"Yeah, you would do, Jovelth!" joked Glimmer.  
"It's my pleasure to have freed you." said He-Man. "But we must get inside Doom Tower at once. I came here to….."  
"Yep, you came here to rescue Extendar and She-Ra." said Carlos.  
"What?" said He-Man, astonished. "How did you know that?"  
Carlos simply smiled and replied "It's a wonder, the effects that science can have on the human mind. You should try out some Lemorite yourself some time. I know She-Ra is now in Hordak's torture chamber- so I say we get in there and rescue her!"  
"Torture Chamber?!" exclaimed He-Man. "We must get there at once!"  
"Right you are!" said Carlos, and the three of them began running hastily towards Doom Tower, breaking past the guard on their way to rescue their friends.

_I sure hope Extendar's alright_, thought She-Ra, as she faced the terror of Hordak's torture chamber. Because whatever danger Extendar was in right now, it couldn't be any worse than the danger that she was facing at this moment. This wasn't the same torture chamber that Hordak used for simple captives and slaves, in which Horde Troopers simply flogged the captives with whips all day long, but a larger chamber for more heated enemies of the Horde. And the torture….. at this moment, anyway….. was bolts of electricity, being fired from the walls and ceiling….. seemingly coming from nowhere.  
She-Ra had handled it alright, so far. Even though she'd been weakened slightly by Mosquitor draining her blood, she was still fast and agile, and had so far managed to dodge out of the way of nearly every bolt, and deflect others with her sword.  
But it sure was exhausting. She wasn't sure just how much longer she could keep it up. Even someone as powerful as her could not last all that long dodging lightning blasts. And she was becoming more and more exhausted by the second.  
And eventually, a lightning blast _did_ hit her. And it blew her off her feet, to the other side of the chamber, dropping her sword. She reached out for the sword, but she was hit by another blast and blown several feet by it! She could not last much longer…..  
Then a further blast of lightning came through the chamber….. but strangely, it was not aimed at her. She-Ra looked up to see the cause of the blast….. and it was Carlos, with his lightning striker! "Carlos!" she called out. "Thank the ancients you came to my aid!"  
"There's more than just me, She-Ra!" he replied, and Glimmer burst into the chamber, followed by….. He-Man!  
"He-Man!" exclaimed She-Ra. "Thank Grayskull! You received my call!"  
"And I had to come to give you help!" said He-Man as he deflected a bolt of lightning with his sword.  
Just then, there came a heavy, deep and loud laugh, which echoed throughout the chamber. The warriors looked up to see the terrifying figure of Hordak standing above them, his red eyes shining onto the ground.  
"So, He-Man, you come to help your friends, and only end up in my torture chamber! Well, this shall be the place where you perish. I won't bother confiscating your sword… because as with She-Ra, it's best that you fight your way to exhaustion. I've called off the lightning effects….. they are the most harmless feature of my chamber. Instead you shall face….. the Monstroid!"  
He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer looked up in shock as the gigantic robot beast crashed through a side wall into the chamber, snapping its mighty claws, blocking their way and rampaging towards them!  
"Let's see how you fare against this….. as well as the spike of death!"  
As he said this, a huge metal spike came crashing down from the ceiling. The warriors dodged aside, but the spike came down again….. in another spot. It was coming down in random spots- there was no way they could predict where it would appear next!  
"You'll stand no chance against the spike," shouted Hordak, "especially with the Monstroid coming at you at the same time! Here you will all perish….. while your friend, Extendar, is turned into a Horde assassin!"  
He-Man's mind was filled with shock as he remembered Extendar. _No, it can't be!_, he thought. Hordak couldn't turn Extendar evil!  
"Extendar!" He-Man cried, leaping into the air and crashing his sword against the Monstroid. But it was no use. The blows from the sword were not heavy enough to destroy the metal monster. He-Man and his allies were almost trapped….. and they would never be able to save Extendar in time.

* * *

Extendar struggled to get free from the brainwashing machine. It felt like extreme torture. As he struggled, random images of war, death and destruction began pouring into his mind. He tried his best to combat them, by thinking of how he'd helped maintain peace on Eternia so many times- but it was no use. He could feel a thirst for blood in his mind, and before long his mind would be full of all kinds of sadistic thoughts.  
Although he'd been put inside the brainwashing machine in just the same way as when he'd originally been changed into Extendar, these sadistic thoughts had not poured into his mind that time. He'd simply been rendered unconscious after a while of being trapped there, and had awoken with his memory drained and his body made robotic. So obviously, the brainwashing had not worked on him first time because his anger had overcome it- but this machine was more powerful. Now he realised how dreadful it must have been for Doodon, when he was brainwashed! And soon the machine would drain his memory, and he'd be drained of all recollection of his life as Theydon, or even his life as a Heroic Warrior…..  
NO! He could not let it happen! He could not become as evil as Dragstor had become! He writhed and punched at the sides of the machine, desperately trying to free himself. But it was no use- despite his incredible strength, the machine was too strong for him to break free. But he could not let himself succumb to its power!  
Dragstor stepped in front of him, casting his evil, penetrating glare upon Extendar. "You can not break free!" he said. "This machine is far too powerful! Before long, you'll be part of the Horde!"  
"No!" Extendar shouted. He could not let himself become as evil as the Horde! He had to try to persuade Dragstor to listen to him and recall his past. "Dragstor!" he shouted. "You gotta listen! We used to be friends! You were once a normal guy, until you were put through just the same brainwashing as I am now! We were both human! You _must_ remember- we knew each other since we were kids!"  
"I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR NONSENSE!" shouted Dragstor, deafeningly. "You're only trying to get me to free you- which I will not! So I will leave you. I'm now going to the Torture Chamber, where She-Ra should be meeting her demise. And no matter how hard you try to escape, it will be in vain!"  
Dragstor turned to leave. "Dragstor!" called Extendar, as his former friend made his way out. "Please! Just listen to me….."  
But Dragstor simply ignored him, and called to Multi-Bot. "Keep close guard of Extendar." he instructed the robot. "Make sure he doesn't escape- not that he'll be able to."  
"I obey your command, Dragstor." replied the robot, and inched over to the brainwashing machine, on his six electronic legs.  
Multi-Bot stood guard, in front of the machine, as more and more evil thoughts continued to flood Extendar's mind. He was feeling guilty about the sadistic thoughts he was having. He was imagining himself killing and dismembering people who had wronged him….. not just Hordak, but people who had done him bad all through his life….. his violent neighbour from childhood, who had beaten him up simply because he'd accidentally knocked a box off his wagon when playing in the road….. his disturbed childhood acquaintance who'd turned all his friends against him by telling them lies about him….. the bigoted captain of the athletics club, who had refused him entry into the major races out of sheer dislike….. although Extendar had always disliked these people for what they'd done, he was now picturing them in his mind, with their eyeholes reduced to nothing but hollows filled with blood as their eyes dangled out on their stalks, their teeth and gums crushed by electronic drills, their limbs severed and ripped to pieces, their chests torn and mutilated. And he was getting a feel of excitement and thrill from these thoughts. His delight in it still sickened him, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he found sheer pleasure in thoughts like these…..  
He could not let it happen. Even though he knew it wouldn't be his fault if the experiment succeeded, he still felt that he'd be betraying the Masters of the Universe if he joined the Horde. He must try his best to escape!  
Multi-Bot was guarding him now- the robot was simply standing still in front of the machine, but his two heads would spin from time to time as he scanned the area around him for intruders. Could Extendar possibly trick Multi-Bot into setting him free? It _might_ be possible- after all, Multi-Bot was not a living creature, but a machine programmed to serve and fight for the Horde. Perhaps Multi-Bot would obey Extendar, now that his mind was turning evil?  
Extendar could not be sure, but he decided to give it a go and attempt to trick Multi-Bot. "Multi-Bot!" he called. The robot's heads swerved towards him. "You can release me now." said Extendar. "I am a Horde minion. I am prepared to fight for the Horde. It is safe to let me free!"  
Multi-Bot's circuits whirred as he processed Extendar's commands in his electronic mind. "Opposition Warrior….. Not Horde member….. Will not obey."  
_Damn_, thought Extendar. Multi-Bot could not be tricked like this. He was only programmed to obey fully-fledged Horde Members, and he could detect who was a true Horde member.  
_Could there be some other way to trick him?_, thought Extendar. _If only He-Man was here….. he knows how to play mind games with robots_. Maybe if he attempted (or rather pretended) to attack Multi-Bot, he would succeed.  
"I'm coming right for you, Multi-Bot!" Extendar shouted, and kicked his metal legs in front of him, as if to attack Multi-Bot. "You stand no chance against me! Prepare to fight with Extendar, tower of power!" he punched his fists against the sides of the brainwashing machine, in anger. He found that now that his mind was partially evil, he seemed to want to fight, and cause as much destruction as possible.  
"Come and try me if you dare!" Extendar shouted. "I'll pull you apart within seconds!"  
Multi-Bot turned towards Extendar, raised his four metal arms, and they began to whirr. Within moments, all four of his arms had converted to laser pistols. _Good_, thought Extendar. Multi-Bot's computer brain had been tricked into thinking Extendar really was attacking him. "I will fight you." said Multi-Bot. "Feel the power of Multi-Bot!"  
"Alright then!" said Extendar, triumphantly. He tensed up his electronic muscles as Multi-Bot fired all his lasers at him- just in case he were to be hurt by the blasts. The laser beams blasted into the machine, hitting the tight electric belts, and exploding them instantaneously! Extendar shot up from the seat. At last he could move! But the sparks of electricity remained around him, encircling his body. It was this electricity field that was the cause of the brainwashing, with its hidden power. Extendar tried to step through it, but as he did so he felt a bolt of electricity surge through his body, and he jerked back in shock. Gasping for breath, he realised how lucky he was that he was no ordinary human, or he'd have been electrocuted in no time. He had to find some other way of breaking through the electricity field! So he lured Multi-Bot closer to him. "You come and get me, you walking piece of scrap metal!" he shouted. "You're no match for my power!"  
Multi-Bot began to advance closer to him, saying "I will destroy you!" He moved closer….. and closer….. and walked right into the electricity field! The electricity began to react with Multi-Bot's robot body, which started to shake and smoulder with sparks. Quickly, Extendar gripped hold of Multi-Bot's upper arms, there was a huge burst of sparks, and Multi-Bot exploded into a thousand pieces, which hurled and scattered all over the laboratory! Extendar clung to Multi-Bot's arms, and found himself flinging out of the machine and across the lab, landing with a heavy thud in one corner.  
Slowly, Extendar picked himself up, and looked out over the laboratory. He had momentarily passed through the electricity field as he'd been flung out of the machine, but since he'd only passed through it for a split second, he felt only a minor surge of electricity through his body. It did him no harm. Multi-Bot had been less powerful, so he'd been destroyed by the electricity field. All over the laboratory were pieces of Multi-Bot's body parts and working components, sizzling and smouldering into useless junk.  
Extendar edged his way over to the machine. The electricity field was still passing through the space where he'd been trapped, but the metal belts were totally destroyed. Extendar walked over to the control panel for the machine. There was a lever with "ELECTRICITY FIELD- ON/OFF" written below it. He flicked the lever to 'OFF', and the electricity field dissolved.  
Now he was alone and safe in the lab. He could work now on finding some way to use the machine to change Dragstor back to his human self. He could still feel the thoughts of sadism in his mind, and the thirst for blood, war and destruction. Extendar's mind was now partially evil, but his heart was still good. Using the machine, he should be able to find a way to return Dragstor to normal, and also wipe all the evil from his own mind.  
Without hesitation, he set to work with the machine.

* * *

Dragstor had made his way down to the torture chamber. He found Hordak there, watching He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer fight a destructive battle with Hordak's Monstroid machine, as the giant metal spike came down repeatedly from the ceiling, in random places.  
"Dragstor!" exclaimed Hordak, as he saw his minion approaching. "Extendar hasn't escaped, has he?"  
"No, master." replied Dragstor. "The traitor is still in the brainwashing machine."  
"Very good." said Hordak. "Soon he'll be on our side. He-Man, She-Ra and Glimmer have been injured several times, and before long will be completely destroyed- actually, maybe once the brainwashing of Extendar is complete, I will let their former friend destroy them….."  
"Yes!" exclaimed Dragstor, his eyes opening wide. "We must destroy these fools together! Extendar and I shall torture them once he's been brainwashed!"  
"Precisely." said Hordak. "That is one of the reasons why I didn't inflict anything more serious than the Monstroid and the spike upon them- because I knew I could test Extendar on them once he's been converted to our side. They're dealing with the Monstroid reasonably well….. but they'll be too weak to deal with much more."  
Hordak and Dragstor looked down at the warriors fighting the Monstroid in the large, black torture chamber. Carlos seemed to be the hero of the battle so far. While He-Man, She-Ra and Glimmer had cuts and bruises on their bodies, and were struggling to fight the Monstroid and dodge the spike at the same time, Carlos was taking out all kinds of unusual devices from the inner pockets of his jacket, using lots of strange bolts to counter the Monstroid's blows and causing it to drop the other warriors whenever it lifted them. And he hadn't been hit by the spike once.  
"Keep fighting, so-called warriors!" shouted Hordak. "You cannot last long against the Monstroid….. and the spike will help destroy you all!"  
"You're gonna have to find a better method than this." said Carlos, firing a lightning bolt from his Lightning Striker at the Monstroid. He moved to one side, and the spike came crashing down a few seconds later, exactly where he had been standing. "That spike's no match for me." he said. "I know where it's going to come down every time, so I don't need to fear it. I can just prepare myself and move away."  
Hordak snarled at the scientist, his eyes glowing bright red. "I'll never be able to understand how you automatically seem to know so much! If only you were on the Horde's side….. but still, even you will be destroyed before long. Once I've unleashed Extendar upon you!"  
"Yep, right." said Carlos, sarcastically, as he continued to fire at the Monstroid.  
"He'll see before long….." growled Hordak, turning towards Dragstor. "You and Extendar will make short work of him. Once Extendar's been brainwashed, and drained of all past memory, he and you will finally become the mighty duo I created you to be."  
"Great! At last!" hissed Dragstor. "He's continued to tell me his lies about us once being human friends." said Dragstor. "But I'm curious….. why does he do this, master?"  
"He does it simply because he wants you to join his side." lied Hordak. "When he was created, he expected that you were going to be a traitor like him, and since he was angry that you weren't, he made up that ridiculous story in the hope of converting you to his side. You shouldn't believe a word he says."  
"I don't." said Dragstor.  
Hordak looked down on his minion. When he'd turned him into Dragstor, he'd programmed him so that he would never be able to suspect that he'd ever been human, even if anyone tried to tell him. Although Dragstor himself didn't know it, he was not capable of thinking by free will. All his thoughts were the results of Hordak's brainwashing- he had a totally artificial mind. He was incapable of thinking deeply, or feeling any emotions- all he ever felt was a desire for war and destruction. So Dragstor would never be able to remember a single moment of his human life, or even suspect it may ever have happened. Hordak was not worried that Extendar might ever be able to restore Dragstor's human mind. It was totally impossible. And it would definitely be impossible, now that Extendar himself was being brainwashed.  
"Did you leave Extendar alone in the lab?" Hordak asked Dragstor.  
"No." replied Dragstor. "I left Multi-Bot to guard him."  
"Excellent." said Hordak. "Go back there now, for the brainwashing process should be complete fairly soon. Then I'll set you and Extendar upon these fools- as a test of Extendar's power….. and the destruction of my hated enemies."  
"Right on, master." said Dragstor, and he skidded down to the ground, and propelled himself on his wheel, towards the lab.

Extendar puzzled over the control panel of the brainwashing machine. As he did so, he did not quite feel himself. His body was shaky after coming out of the machine, and his mind was in a mess, having been turned partially evil. He could feel a desperate thirst for blood in his mind, and was trying his best to keep it under control as he studied the control panel.  
He could not seem to find anything that would enable him to reverse the brainwashing process. It was probably hidden, in case any heroic warrior found the machinery.  
Or was it even possible to reverse the process? Extendar flashed his mind back to the original machinery, that Hordak had used on he and Dragstor. He remembered that after he'd reached the Royal Palace, after Buzz-Off rescued him from Dragstor, and told the Heroic Warriors his story, he'd gone back to the Fright Zone with He-Man, to recover the machinery and return Dragstor to his human form. But when they'd reached the Fright Zone, despite a struggle with Hordak and his henchmen, they had seen no sign of the machinery or Dragstor. He-Man had used his sword to trace the location of the machinery, and the sword had led him to the Ocean. He had formed an air bubble with his sword, and he and Extendar had gone undersea in it to find where Hordak had hidden the machinery. They found a great glass dome, in which the machinery was hidden, with Dragstor guarding it. Hordak had hidden the machinery there, with Dragstor to guard it because he knew the heroic warriors would not risk smashing the dome open and harming Dragstor. But Merman had spied what was going on, and realising that He-Man must want the machinery, had sent a swarm of sea creatures to smash the dome open. They had done so, but He-Man had saved Dragstor by pulling him inside the bubble, and escorting them back onto land. He-Man had told Dragstor that he would go back to retrieve the machinery, so he could change him back- but Dragstor, although he did not remember being human, had revealed that the machinery had no way of undoing the jobs it had done. He-Man had therefore decided to destroy it instead, and had swam back underwater to destroy the equipment. But Merman had seen him approaching, and Merman had done the job himself and destroyed the equipment, thinking that He-Man was after it because he wanted to use it. Merman had escaped thinking he had beaten He-Man, and back on land, He-Man had explained to Extendar that there was no way they could have used the machinery to change Dragstor back, but he would do his best to find a way.  
Extendar slammed his fist down on the control panel. If the original machine had no way of returning Dragstor to his human form, surely this one wouldn't either, since it was little more than an improved replica of the original? _Blast it_, he thought. Was there any way of changing Dragstor back? Was there perhaps some other machine, somewhere else in the Fright Zone, that was capable of doing this? Extendar knew he would have to do his best to find the way to change Dragstor back!!! But how?! If there was no way of turning him back….. he knew the only alternative would be to kill Dragstor. And since his mind was now partially evil, and less disgusted by the thought of taking another life, he would be quite capable of killing Dragstor. Still, he'd rather he could be changed back…. but how could he do it???  
"Dammit!" he shouted angrily, extending his arm and smashing it heavily on the ground. "How on Eternia am I gonna be able to change Dragstor back?! HOW???"  
"Change me back?….." came a hissing, electronic voice. Extendar spun round, just in time to see Dragstor himself zoom into the lab. The moment Dragstor noticed that Extendar had escaped, and the smouldering remains of Multi-Bot scattered around the lab, he hissed "So, you've escaped! Well, there's only one thing left to do now. YOU WILL DIE!!!!!" and he zoomed along the ground on his wheel, straight towards Extendar, knocking him off his feet!  
Extendar fell back, but picked himself straight up and took a leap back, looking down at his former friend. And he felt something he'd never thought he would feel in his life….. a desire to FIGHT Dragstor. To hurt him. The increased evil in his mind had given him a determination to fight anyone who dared attack him, even Dragstor. And he was no longer disturbed by the thought of it. He still wanted to return Dragstor to his human form….. but he was prepared to inflict damage upon him- maybe if he damaged Dragstor's cyborg body, it could fall away and reveal his true form below?  
"I'll make short work of you!" growled Dragstor. "Especially since you never fight back!"  
"Oh do I not?" said Extendar- and he shot out his mighty arms, seized Dragstor by the shoulders, and flung him across the room.

* * *

Dragstor picked himself up and raised his body to face Extendar….. this couldn't be….. he had just been attacked by the enemy who betrayed Hordak and had never, ever dared fight him….. now Extendar had actually flung him across the lab….. Dragstor could not explain the sudden change but he knew he had to fight back….. he glared at Extendar with bloodthirst, skidded to the ground and propelled himself towards Extendar on his wheel…..

Extendar watched as Dragstor came zooming towards him. No doubt Dragstor would have been taken by surprise at Extendar's sudden attack. Extendar had never dreamed of hurting Dragstor before….. but now that his mind was more evil than before, he was perfectly ready to hurt him- especially if it would help to change him back to his human form. As Dragstor shot towards him, Extendar reached out his fist and smashed Dragstor's head heavily, causing his former friend to drop down, out of action.  
"Taken by surprise, Dragstor?" asked Extendar, looking down on his opponent.  
Dragstor looked up at Extendar, squinting his eyes in spite. "What has come over you? Why are you fighting back? Before now, you've always been too afraid to fight back to me!"  
"Perhaps I've simply changed a little….." replied Extendar.  
"Nevertheless….." said Dragstor, getting to his feet, "you'll still pay for betraying H-" he stopped suddenly, and looked into Extendar's eyes. Extendar stared back, into Dragstor's evil, demonic eyes.  
"You….. you look different….." said Dragstor. "Your eyes….. they look more….. war-like."  
"Well, I did spend some time stuck in that brainwashing machine." said Extendar. "It had to have had _some_ effect."  
Dragstor's eyes opened wide in amazement. "Then join the Horde!" he said. "You'd make a fine minion for Hordak. Become one of us, as you were always meant to be!"  
"No- how about _you_ leave the Horde behind and rejoin me- as we were always friends, and always should have been!"  
"Damn it! More of your lies!" shouted Dragstor. "I won't listen to you a moment longer. DIE, Traitor!!!"  
He leaped right towards Extendar, seizing hold of his neck and digging his wheel into Extendar's chest, spurting a cloud of steam into Extendar's face. But Extendar found that he loved fighting more than ever before….. so he began to grow to full size and gripped hold of Dragstor's sides. The man-vehicle's eyes opened wide in shock as Extendar grew, lifting him higher and higher above the ground. Once he'd reached full height, he dropped Dragstor right down to the ground! But Dragstor was ready, and before he hit the ground, he activated his chest wheel once again, flipped over to his front as he landed, and zoomed along the ground, right between Extendar's legs.  
Extendar slowly turned his huge body round, to face Dragstor. Dragstor raised his arm and shot out a blast from his wrist-lasers- but Extendar quickly shrunk back to his normal size. The lasers missed him and burned a hole in the ceiling.  
"You fight well….." hissed Dragstor, "but unless you realise that you're a born Horde member like myself, you will perish!"  
"And you're gonna sound a total fool until you realise that you weren't born a Horde member, but born Doodon, my closest friend!"  
"Why do you come out with such lies?!!!" growled Dragstor, and came zooming right towards Extendar, leaping up to seize his neck when he reached him! But Extendar just managed to seize hold of Dragstor's sides, and flung him over his head.  
"You cannot beat me!" screamed Dragstor as turned on his chest wheel to face Extendar. "I am Dragstor, master of speed!" And he zoomed round in a circle, too fast for Extendar's eye to catch, before suddenly raising his arm and firing a bolt of energy at him, hitting him in the chest! Extendar leaped backwards in anger- normally he'd have been sickened by the thought of his former friend inflicting pain upon him, but now that he'd been half-brainwashed, he could not care- he simply ran towards Dragstor, shouting "I'm gonna make you human again- or die trying!"  
"Then die you shall!" shouted Dragstor, zooming over the ground, through Extendar's legs, then spinning around and blasting Extendar from behind, causing him to fall forward heavily. Extendar quickly picked himself up, grew to half his full size, and reached out his right arm, seizing hold of Dragstor and punching him heavily in the face with his left fist. He stared into Dragstor's evil eyes, and he mocked "So, fastest evil warrior in the universe, hey? Well, your powers are impressive, but you're still no match for the _tallest_ warrior in the universe!" He stared into his former friend's hideously changed eyes, with their devilish glare. And for the first time, ever since Hordak's experiment upon them, Extendar sensed a trace of FRIENDSHIP in Dragstor. As he'd been turned partially evil by the machinery, Extendar could see some of himself in Dragstor's eyes. Dragstor was staring back at him, and his eyes lit up as if he felt the same. It was almost as if they were fighting as friends, having a friendly bout with one another, rather than fighting as enemies.  
"You know, I'm kind of enjoying this fight." Extendar said. "You make a damn great opponent!"  
"So do you!" said Dragstor. "Just as much as you did when you didn't fight back!" Extendar looked deeper into his evil eyes. He laughed as he sensed Dragstor's bloodthirst, and Dragstor laughed back. "I wanna rip Hordak to shreds!" laughed Extendar. "I wanna pull that metal head of his off and let myself bathe in his scarlet blood!"  
"That's just how I've always felt about He-Man!" said Dragstor. "See, you're more like us now, Extendar. I can see it in your eyes! Join the Horde, Extendar, and you and I shall fight together as sidekicks, like we always should have been! The two of us belong together!"  
"Yes, we do!" replied Extendar. "As friends! Like we always were in our human forms! Don't you remember, Dragstor?"  
"We could be….. I guess you could call it friends." replied Dragstor. "I can see your thirst for blood, and it's equal to my own. Yes, we can be sidekicks and slaughter the Rebellion together!"  
"Not a chance Dragstor….. you weren't always a Horde assassin, remember? You and I were close friends, and we were totally normal guys? Living in that village in Eternia….."  
"Stop your lies, Extendar!" shouted Dragstor. "It's all no use. Forget about trying to turn me to your side. Instead, you join the Horde and become one of our most powerful members!"  
Extendar was about to respond in the negative….. but suddenly another idea struck him. If he pretended he _was_ going to change sides and join the Horde, Dragstor would then see him as a friend….. and maybe that could help him recall his past life?  
So he said "Yes. I will join the Horde. I will leave the heroic warriors for good. Now, Dragstor, you and I will fight to destroy the Rebellion….. and then take over Eternia!"  
"At last!" exclaimed Dragstor. "You and I are now the sidekicks we were created to be! Just wait until I tell Hordak that you've finally become part of the Horde. He will be most welcoming towards our new, powerful member!"  
"Yes, he will." replied Extendar. "And you and I can be the friends we were always meant to be, _Doodon_." At Extendar's mention of his name, Dragstor's eyes opened wide, and he stared at Extendar as if recalling a long forgotten memory. "Th….. Theydon?" he stammered, his voice now sounding closer to how it had been in his human form.  
"YES!!!!!" exclaimed Extendar in ecstatic triumph, and quickly shrunk to normal size, and let go of Dragstor on the ground. "So….. you remember me, Doodon? We were always friends, remember? Until Hordak captured us?"  
Dragstor gripped tight hold of his head with both hands, shaking wildly. "I….. I thought I remembered….. no, it can't be! I'm loyal to Hordak! I could never have been friends with you?!!" and he slid to the ground and reared up towards Extendar on his wheel, knocking him back against the wall. But then he ran to the other side of the lab and clutched his head again. Clearly, some of his old memories must finally be coming back to him, but since he'd been programmed to think he was a born Horde member, his artificial mind was having difficulty believing them.  
"Fight Hordak's curse, Doodon!" shouted Extendar. "You know you're my friend. Fight against Hordak's evil brainwashing, and let your memories flood back!" he ran across the room to Dragstor, and laid his hand on Dragstor's shoulder. "Come on, you must remember!" he said. "Fight against Hordak's mind spell….. you've gotta remember!"  
"I've….. I have to fight you!" Dragstor shouted. "I must fight in the name of Hordak!" and he thrust his left wrist-blaster into Extendar's face, and blasted him, sending him flying back.

* * *

Carlos, Glimmer, He-Man and She-Ra continued to battle with all their strength against the Monstroid and the giant metal spike. Hordak watched down over them. They were doing pretty well, he had to admit. They were definitely lasting longer than he'd expected. Carlos was warning the other warriors whenever the spike was about to drop down on them, so they were able to dodge it quickly. The Monstroid currently held He-Man in its right claw, as Carlos continued to fire his Lightning Bolts at it. He-Man flexed his mighty muscles, and with one huge burst of strength, broke free of the Monstroid's clutches, smashing the metal claw into pieces, which flew all around the chamber as He-Man leaped to the ground. Hordak watched in horror as his creation's claw was destroyed.  
"Great work, He-Man!" said Glimmer. "We're gonna wear that Monstroid out before long!"  
"You're no match for the power of my creations!" shouted Hordak.  
"Think again." said Carlos as he fired a Lightning Bolt at the Monstroid's face. The metal monster was beginning to lose control of its circuits as it attempted a clumsy dodge to the left….. so Carlos fired bolt after bolt at the robot, until part of its gigantic metal body started to melt.  
"Excellent work!" shouted She-Ra. "Now we must destroy the other claw!"  
"Leave that to me." said He-Man, and leaped up towards the Monstroid's body.  
"She-Ra! The spike's about to come down on you!" shouted Carlos. She-Ra dodged aside quickly, as the metal spike crashed through the ceiling to the spot where she had been standing.  
"Thanks for warning me, Carlos. Now go for it, He-Man!"  
The Monstroid, its head streaming with melted metal, seized He-Man in its left claw and squeezed him tight. But He-Man once again broke free from the claw with a mighty flex of his muscles, sending it shattering across the chamber.  
He-Man leaped back to the ground, and said to the others "Quickly, if we all fire at the metal monster at once now that it's confused, we could be able to put a stop to its rampage!"  
He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer all leaped into a spot just a metre away from the Monstroid. He-Man and She-Ra brandished their swords, Carlos held out his Lightning Striker. Then He-Man shouted "NOW!" and the four warriors all fired at the Monstroid- He-Man and She-Ra fired bolts from their swords, Carlos fired a Lightning Bolt, and Glimmer fired energy beams from the palms of her hands. The projectiles all hit the Monstroid at once, and its metal chest began to crackle and hiss as a cavity opened in its center. Electric wires seeped out, as the metal body began to melt and crumble to the ground.  
"Now- let's make our way out!" shouted He-Man. Together, he and the others ran as fast as they could out of the torture chamber, away from the metal spike.  
"No- you cannot escape yet!" shouted Hordak, watching in horror as the Monstroid crumbled to the ground. He converted his arm to cannon mode, but it was no use- He-Man threw one mighty punch into Hordak's metal face, which was swiftly followed by a blast from She-Ra's sword, knocking him aside.  
He-Man and the others ran swiftly away from the Torture Chamber, heading towards Hordak's lab. "We must save Extendar." said He-Man. "He's probably turned evil by now!"  
"No he hasn't." said Carlos. "Or not that much, anyway. I can sense it- he's been turned a bit evil by that machine, but he's broken free and is now battling with Dragstor."  
"That's great!" said He-Man. "Well, not great that he's fighting, but great that he hasn't been turned fully evil. We've gotta rescue him and restore his mind to normal- and hopefully Dragstor's too!"  
Suddenly, as they ran through a narrow corridor, lit only by a deep red light, a dark, sinister figure stepped in front of them. There was no mistaking it, with its huge, red insectoid head, and the large black metal body.  
"Mosquitor!" exclaimed She-Ra.  
And from behind them came the voice of Hordak. "You cannot survive long, rebels." he said. "Mosquitor- take them!"  
The evil energy-draining insectoid made his way slowly towards them, his head ready to suck up blood…..

Extendar rushed towards Dragstor, gripped his wrists tightly, and held him close.  
"Come on, Doodon, you must remember!" he said. "You've been brainwashed by Hordak. You've lived for three years without being able to think for yourself. Hordak's curse has made you think you were made to be loyal to him!"  
"But….. I _was_ made to be loyal to him!" shouted Dragstor. "Hordak is my master! I can never betray him! You and I were made on the same day….. but you turned good and betrayed Hordak!"  
"And why do you think I betrayed Hordak, Doodon? Because I'd retained my human memory! We were captured by Hordak and made into what we are now- we weren't always like this! Remember, we were running in a race just before, when Modulok captured us, and then we were taken to Hordak's laboratory….."

Extendar's words sank into Dragstor's brainwashed mind. A vision suddenly crept into his psychotic mind- It was a vision of him and another man being dragged by troopers into Hordak's laboratory. He shouted "I will never serve your evil army, Hordak! Never!"  
"I feel you will behave differently once I have finished with you….." Hordak replied, "My machines can be very persuasive!"  
Dragstor went hysterical with shock as the vision became more vivid in his head. Could this thing actually have happened? Was what Extendar was saying true, all this time? "No! It can't be!!!" he screamed as he shook his body frenetically in Extendar's clutches.  
"It is, Doodon!" said Extendar. "Fight the curse! Restore your mind! You must remember!"  
Dragstor felt the memory become more vivid in his head….. he started to see childhood images, of him and a young boy called Theydon playing together as kids….. but it couldn't be true!!! Hordak was his master- why would Hordak lie to him?! No, it was all lies- Extendar must have some secret power that he was using to possess him. These images were simply being transmitted by Extendar into his mind, to convince him that they were real.  
"It can't be true!" he shouted. "If it was….. what did Hordak say as we were dragged into the laboratory?"  
"He said….. 'My machines can be very persuasive.'"  
"NO!!!!!" screamed Dragstor, as Extendar spoke the exact words he'd seen in the vision. "I'm getting these visions in my head….. that's what he said in the vision….."  
"Then you're remembering your true past!" said Extendar. "Concentrate and break the curse- then we can return to our true friendship!"  
"No! I don't believe it! It's all lies! You're transmitting these images into my head so I'll think they really happened! It's not true!!!!!"  
"It is, Dragstor, just concentrate….."  
"IT'S NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!" Dragstor screamed, and writhed free from Extendar's grasp, then punched him violently on the chest, and converted to vehicle mode, zooming away, and using his lasers to blast a hole through to another part of the lab as he did so.

Back down in the corridor, He-Man was struggling under the grip of Mosquitor, who had thrust his huge insectoid head into his neck and was slowly drinking up his blood, sapping his strength….. Carlos, She-Ra and Glimmer attempted to save him, but just then, Batros swooped down from the ceiling, wrapping his huge wings right round She-Ra and Glimmer, and Modulok suddenly appeared all over the floor, his many body parts scattering around rapidly, confusing Carlos as leg after arm after leg after arm appeared in his way, holding him back…..  
Mosquitor sucked on He-Man's blood, as Hordak watched in triumph. "This is my day of victory!" he laughed. "The day I finally brainwash Extendar is the day He-Man is destroyed! What perfection!"  
His eyes blazed bright red as a deafening metallic laugh emitted from his wide open, metal jaws…..

Extendar rushed after Dragstor, about to dive through the hole in the wall to the concealed part of Hordak's lab.  
"Dragstor- I'm here to help you, right?!"  
He saw a large metal block on the other side crash into the hole in the wall. Then he heard Dragstor's voice, now closer to that of Doodon, except hoarser and more striking, say "You aren't coming in, Extendar. I will listen to no more of your lies."  
But Extendar knew that inside, Dragstor was suffering from a terrible conflict within his mind, as his human memories were flooding back, but Hordak's programming was refusing to let him believe them. Extendar pounded on the metal wall with his mighty fist. "Let me in, Dragstor!"  
"Get out of here, you son of a….."  
"I'M COMING IN!!!!!" He pounded on the wall even harder. There was a loud clang and the metal wall shook violently, but it did not give way.  
"Damn, if this wall needs incredible strength to break it down….. that's what it's gonna get!" Extendar grew to full height, in which he was stronger- and he thrust out both his fists, smashed them heavily against the wall, and there came a deafening clanging sound, which shook the whole lab- and the wall fell down heavily, clattering to the ground with intensity.  
"You bastard….. hissed Dragstor, "I'll finish you…"  
"No, Doodon. Just relax- concentrate and let your memories flood-" he stopped as he looked up, and saw the huge, metal machine in front of them, with its massive fan behind a metal grate.  
"What in the world is that?!" he cried.  
"It's Hordak's Tornado Generator….." hissed Dragstor, his voice even hoarser than usual, "… he created it to cause the downfall of Etheria, and you will not damage it!" He zoomed towards Extendar, gripping his metal neck and slamming his head to the ground.  
"Dammit, if you think you can defeat me like that, you're badly mistaken!" shouted Extendar, and flipped Dragstor over, holding him down with his mighty arms. Deep inside he felt guilty for hurting his friend- but Hordak's mind control had made him partially evil, and the anger he felt over Dragstor's attack, and just how long the whole, tormented relationship between the two of them had gone on, was driving him insane.  
"PLEASE SOMETHING JUST LET THIS ALL END!!!!!" he screamed. "YOU'RE MY FRIEND, DRAGSTOR YOU'VE GOTTA LET GO OF HORDAK'S CURSE!!!!!!!!!! JUST DO IT!!!!!!!!!!"  
Dragstor's eyes began to bulge as if they were about to explode. For a split second Extendar thought he caught the faint glimpse of a tear in the corner of the evil eyes.  
"I….. can't….." wheezed Dragstor, "It….. can't….. be true…… Theydon!!!"  
"That's it! I AM Theydon! You remember me!!!"  
"No….. Theydon never existed…… neither did….. Doodon….. DAMMIT IT'S ALL A TRICK!" He shouted deafeningly, flexing his metal muscles and flinging Extendar's huge body away from him, smashing into the Tornado Generator….. and activating it. The giant fan spun around rapidly until it was merely a blur, and the whole laboratory was engulfed by a huge, hurricane-like wind, blowing Extendar and Dragstor off their feet, and across the lab, which seemed to explode into thousands of fragments as their bodies hit the machinery, which collapsed, crackled, sizzled and hissed as it was all blown apart, ending up as a pile of rubble on the ground….. with the bodies of Extendar and Dragstor lying beneath.

* * *

As He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer battled in the corridor with Mosquitor, Batros and Modulok, the whole place was shaken by what sounded like a massive explosion from above. Startled, Mosquitor loosened his grip on He-Man, Modulok formed into one body, and Batros spread out his wings, releasing Glimmer and She-Ra.  
"What was that?!" cried Modulok.  
"It sounds like it came from my lab!" shouted Hordak. "We must get up there- quickly!"  
Modulok and Hordak instantly went running up to the lab. She-Ra, He-Man, Glimmer and Carlos looked at one another.  
"Do you think we should follow them?" asked Glimmer.  
"Yep, we should." replied Carlos. "I think I know what it was, but we must go up and see for sure."  
"If it came from the lab, Extendar's in there." said He-Man. "We must see if he's alright!"  
They turned and were about to run- but then they heard footsteps behind them- Mosquitor and Batros were following them.  
"Damn! We're never gonna shake them off!" cried Glimmer.  
"Don't worry- we are." said Carlos, and pulled out a strange device from his pocket, zapped it at Mosquitor and Batros, and they were instantly surrounded by a force shield that prevented them from moving any further.  
"That device isn't perfect, so it won't last for long." said Carlos, "But let's get up there!"

Modulok and Hordak burst into Hordak's lab. A huge gust of wind blew right into their faces, and they were swept back. Their eyes opened wide in shock when they saw the Tornado Generator on full blast, all the machinery sizzling and crackling with electricity on the ground, and Multi-Bot's components scattered in smouldering pieces throughout the room.  
"The Tornado Generator!" cried Hordak. "We must turn it off!"  
"Hang on there." said Modulok, removing his right arm, which crawled along the ground to the Tornado Generator, flicking the switch to turn it off. The huge wind instantly died down, and they entered the lab.  
"What In the name of Horde Prime has happened here?!" cried Hordak. "Who activated the Tornado Generator?"  
"At least we can see that it works as we intended." said Modulok, replacing his arm. "But look what it's done!"  
"My machinery is in pieces!" exclaimed Hordak. "I'll have to reconstruct it all- and Multi-Bot has been destroyed!" he pointed to the smouldering chest component of Multi-Bot beneath them.  
"I will repair Multi-Bot!" said Modulok. "And these machines….."  
"I must work on reconstructing them all!" said Hordak. "At least I still have plenty in stock." he knelt to the ground, cleared aside some of the rubble….. and saw the arm of Extendar, and the leg of Dragstor, poking out from the rubble.  
"So….." he hissed, "I assume it was one of these who activated the Tornado Generator. So we have lost Dragstor, one of our most powerful warriors… but the heroic warriors have lost Extendar, who was even more powerful. We'll leave their cadavers here for now."  
Modulok scattered his body parts around the room, and assembled the working components of Multi-Bot. "When I've restored Multi-Bot I will give him extra power so he can withstand heavy forces. I must get to my lab at once!"  
"I'll come with you." said Hordak. I need somewhere to work on reconstructing my machines. We may have lost many important machines now….. but at least we know that the Tornado Generator is powerful enough to destroy Bright Moon! I cannot wait to use it. Come, Modulok."  
Hordak and Modulok went over to the lift, stepped inside, and went up, to Modulok's lab.

Shortly after they had gone, He-Man, She-Ra, Carlos and Glimmer burst into the room.  
"By the Elders!" exclaimed He-Man. "What's happened in here?"  
"What's that machine?" cried Glimmer, pointing to the Tornado Generator.  
"Oh no! Look!" cried She-Ra, pointing to the bodies of Extendar and Dragstor, beneath the rubble. In shock, the warriors went over to the huge pile of rubble, knelt down, and cleared away the rubble over Extendar.  
"Is he….." began Glimmer.  
"I don't know." replied He-Man. "I think I sense a faint trace of life, but…"  
Carlos then removed the rubble over Dragstor. "Look at this." he said.  
The warriors gazed upon the body of Dragstor- and they were amazed at what they saw. The force of the explosion had destroyed most of his metal body. His legs were partially burnt- but the metal on his upper torso and his face had almost completely fallen away. The wheel in his chest was firmly intact, and above the wheel his body was now a naked human torso, covered only by the occasional scrap of metal. The right side of his face was still held within the metal encasing, and there was a thin strip of metal along that side, but the left side of his face now looked totally human. He-Man brushed away the metal on the right side, which fell away easily- revealing the face of a handsome young man in his mid-twenties, with thick, black hair over his head.  
"He's….. he's human again." said She-Ra.  
"I think he's dead." said He-Man, lowly. "Well… Extendar had tried hard to restore Dragstor to his human self….. but in doing so, he only killed both himself and his friend. But the ordeal is over… they may rest in peace."  
Just then, Carlos noticed Extendar's arm move faintly, and his eyes opened. "Look!" Carlos shouted, "Extendar's still alive!"  
The warriors spun round, and saw the badly beaten cyborg warrior slowly raising his body. They went up to him, and helped Extendar to his feet. "Wh… what happened?" he asked.  
"You had an accident with some kind of explosion." said He-Man. "You'd been fighting with Dragstor, when-"  
"Oh yes…" interrupted Extendar, "…Dragstor, i- is he safe?"  
He-Man hung his head speechlessly, and turned Extendar to face the body of his friend. And Extendar saw, for the first time in three years, the face of his childhood friend, Doodon. His heart was filled with a great sadness as he saw his friend, lying still on the ground. He fell to his knees before the body.  
"Doodon….. I'm sorry it had to end like this….." a tear trickled down his face, "at least….. at least you got to remember some of your human life before you died….." He laid his metal hand on his friend's chest….. and Doodon's eyes slowly flickered open, and he looked up at Extendar.  
"Doodon?! You're alive!" cried Extendar.  
"Th… Theydon?" stammered Doodon. "Wh….. what happened? Where am I? Did you win the race? No, wait a minute, I lost didn't I? Are you okay, after that quicksand fall?"  
Extendar smiled and shook his fists in triumph. "Yes!!!" he shouted. "Your memory has returned, Doodon! Now you can come back to Eternia with me and-"  
"Hold it, erm….. where am I? Why do I have this….. wheel in my chest? And Theydon….. why you looking so strange, you're like some kind of… cyborg?"  
"I am a cyborg." said Extendar. "I'm best known as Extendar now. After you rescued me from the quicksand, we were captured by the Horde, and-"  
"Oh yes….. the Horde! Did you escape? What…"  
"They turned me into this." he said. "I fight for Eternia now. And you were turned into a cyborg too….. but you turned evil….. and you served Hordak."  
"I….. served Hordak? But I couldn't…"  
"You were brainwashed, Doodon. You couldn't shake off the spell. You were called Dragstor."  
"Dragstor? What sort of a name's that? I….. I can't remember ever being in the Horde….. and how have I come back…..?"  
"Well….. it's a long story." smiled Extendar. "Best get you back to Eternia and I'll tell you the whole thing."  
"You mean I'm not on Eternia?! But…"  
He-Man stepped towards Doodon. "You've been saved by your brave friend, Doodon!" he said. "He's struggled for three years to return you to your true form!"  
"Three years?! Then….."  
"Don't worry that you don't remember anything- it's probably a good thing. Now let's get you back to Eternia, so you can recover!"  
Together, He-Man, She-Ra, Extendar, Carlos and Glimmer lifted the body of Doodon. He looked too weak to walk, so they carried him out of the Fright Zone grounds, and onto a small plain nearby. There, He-Man used his sword to summon the Sorceress, and before long a portal to Eternia had opened before them.  
"Well, nice seeing you again, She-Ra." said He-Man.  
"You too, brother." smiled She-Ra. "And you, Extendar- I'm really glad you got your friend back to normal, I'm just sorry it was so hard!"  
"Never mind." smiled Extendar. "It's been worth the three years' hard work! Nice seeing you, She-Ra- hope we can see you again soon!"  
The Etherians bade good journey to the Eternians, and He-Man and Extendar carried the body of Doodon through the portal to Castle Grayskull.

They were greeted at the other end by the Sorceress.  
"Welcome back, He-Man and Extendar!" she said. Then she looked down and saw the man they were carrying.  
"Well, hello….." said Doodon, "whoever you are….."  
"I am the Sorceress of Grayskull." she smiled. Then she looked up at Extendar. "I see you have finally accomplished your task, Extendar. Well done!"  
"Oh, thanks- you mean you're not mad at me for going to Etheria even though you'd told me not to?"  
"Of course not, Extendar." she replied. "I appreciate that the love you felt for your friend was so strong that you would risk your life to return him to his human form. And you have succeeded in your quest- so I must congratulate you! You are a true hero!"  
"Thanks!" Extendar said. "I couldn't be more happy. Thank you, Sorceress, for all that you've done for me….. and to you He-Man, for helping me out so often these past three years!"  
"You're welcome! Are you gonna stay fighting for us?" asked He-Man.  
"Why, of course!" said Extendar. "All the effects Hordak's brainwashing had on me have gone now… and I'll love kicking Hordak's butt now I've finally reversed his scheme after so long!"  
"You're a valuable warrior, Extendar!" said He-Man. "I'm glad you're staying!"  
"Hey, um….. not to be rude, but can you get me home?" asked Doodon. "I need a rest….. and an explanation!"  
"No problem, Doodon." smiled He-Man. "Let's get back to the palace, and Man-At-Arms can treat you!"  
They boarded a Wind Raider in the vehicle bay, and blasted off, with Doodon lying in the back, for the Royal city. Extendar felt his soul rise with happiness as they drifted through the beautiful skies of the break of dawn, his three-year quest finally at an end.

* * *

At the Royal city, Doodon was instantly taken to a comfortable bed in the Royal medical center, where Man-At-Arms treated him and examined his injuries.  
"Well, Doodon's in pretty good health." Man-At-Arms concluded. "He'll live alright, but he'll have to remain in treatment for a while until he fully recovers. But he's going to have to remain a cyborg- I couldn't remove the wheel in his chest without killing him, and it's only his inner electric units that have kept him alive."  
"That's no problem." said Doodon. "I don't really understand it, but I'm glad to be back….. wherever I've been."  
"Maybe with your cyborg attachments, we could make a few modifications and you could join the heroic warriors." said He-Man. "We need all the help we can get- but it's your choice."  
"Maybe….." said Doodon, "but I'm just glad to be back….. with Theydon, or Extendar as he's known now!"  
"I think we'd better leave you two alone for a while." said He-Man.  
"Okay, sure thing." said Doodon.  
He-Man and Man-At-Arms departed, leaving Extendar alone with his closest friend Doodon, finally human again after all this time.  
"So….. Hordak's had me in his control for….. three years?" asked Doodon.  
"I'd better explain!" said Extendar. He told Doodon the whole story, right from the moment they were captured by the Horde to the moment Doodon had been returned to normal.  
"Wow….." said Doodon, "I don't remember a thing! Dragstor?! That name sounds totally unfamiliar, but whatever happened, I'm glad it's over!"  
"So am I." said Extendar. "And it's good that you don't remember anything- we can put that whole ordeal behind us. I feel just now like I've woken up from a long nightmare. It's good to have you back." He hugged Doodon in friendship. "Now that you're human again, we just need to get Skeletor and Hordak out of the way….. then we can be friends like we always were! Cyborgs of course, but at least we can still run the occasional race together!"  
"That's right!" replied Doodon. "Man, I loved those races. Hey, can we go out on the balcony? I'm sure I can make it….."  
"Sure thing." said Extendar, and lifted him out of bed, then helped him across to the bench on the balcony. They looked over onto the elegant, gleaming towers of Eternos city.   
"Whew, Eternos….." said Doodon, "You know, It's nice to be home again."  
"We had some great times here." said Extendar.  
"We sure did… Hey Theydon, you remember that time when we entered that racing contest,….."


End file.
